What is it that defines us as people in society, as individuals? The surroundings of our society itself is what pieces our life together to form the people we are today. An individual I am convinced is formed by the environment they are from or put into. That is how there are so many different people and personalities in the world of today. As we discussed in the reading of “Interesting Times” from the book Another City, from the reading of “The Mall” in the book convergences, and from my own analysis of how my life is figured in living in the city of Los Angeles. I believe this was most significant in our class discussion during this part of the semester.

The way our surroundings shape the way we carry ourselves can come from many different distinct parts of our society. In the reading of “Interesting Times” by Judith Lewis, she illustrates the way Los Angeles shaped her life as a walking cliché living in the City of Angels. Lewis never believed in the beginning that she would even be found dead in Los Angeles. However, her environment no matter how rough or dangerous would make her part of the society in Los Angeles. Apart from being car jacked numerous times, fear of ending up in the wrong neighborhood, and hearing countless gunshots; she would not rather live or be anywhere else.  This is how Lewis establishes how her life in Los Angeles pieced her personality as a walking, breathing, cliché.

Another way I believe the significance of being shaped by your surroundings is illustrated by the reading of “The Mall” in the book Convergences. It shows how a man goes into the Mall of America in Minnesota and is supposed to be in the mall for a week from opening to closing time. By the end of his adventure he is a changed man. He is very antsy and aggressive. This goes to show how the environment that you are put in alters your character for good or for worse. This is another example of how your society is what shapes your personality.

Finally, in this part of the semester we discussed how society shapes your being as a person and pieces your character. My own analysis of my life in L.A. is figured by the society where I grew up and the difficulties I have faced. Being a full-time student and a full-time worker is not the easiest lifestyle someone can ask for. I have become a more independent and responsible human being for the struggles that I am dealt. This is how I am shaped by the community around me that I am a part of.

So is it really true that our community and surroundings are what shape our existence in society? I say, yes. I can relate in how we illustrated in class with the readings of “Interesting Times” and “native to the Place”. Society has a huge impact on the people that are living in it, that is how we have so many distinct personalities in the world and many different people.

Alberto Garcia-Figueroa

Prof. Marca

Eng. 113B

7 February 2012

Reflection

            What is it that really sparks your brain to think? In class we have various discussions and activities based on what we read the day before or what we have been working on recently. It is these discussions that allow me to dig deeper into what I read. You can catch something that a fellow class could not, build off each other’s ideas, and gain more interest in the task at hand. All this can be observed when we have our in class discussions, where everyone is inputting their own thoughts. It goes to show how communication alone can further the train of thought of an individual.

            One of the more important reasons why our in class discussions work and are helpful, is because when you everyone is inputting their response the outlooks are usually different. A fellow classmate might look at something in a different way and it may cause you` to look at it differently. For example, when we were asked to describe Los Angeles in one word, everyone had a distinct word picked out and none were the same. However, they were all very logical and made sense. Every person has a distinct way of viewing something and it helps when shared that way as a group discussion we can enlighten one another more on the text that was read. We can dig deeper into the text. This is a helpful technique of really understanding what you read before by everyone discussing what they understood.

            Another reason why our discussions can be so helpful is, because you can then build off what someone has said that you probably did not get the first time around. For example, in class one of peers came up with an idea about one the texts that I did not think of. As soon as I heard it, all these thought began to pop into my head and I entered the discussion with my input about the text. The discussion may bring other ideas to the table that you may later like to use for your essay or exercise. These are the useful ways in which class discussions can be of use to us as students.

            Finally, when engaging in a group discussion it makes the text much more interesting and understandable. A couple texts that we have read over the two semesters have been typically boring. It is hard to focus on all the reading that we do and catch every single detail. However, when we have the class discussions everyone has their input and makes it more interesting. As we discuss the different points and theories, it makes it fun and more informational to view in deeper detail what the text means. This is how our group discussions in class are helpful and informational for our benefits.

            The group discussions in class form a much more deep thought for me. it allows me to catch a lot more in a story than I would on just my own reading. The discussions allow me to add more to my analysis later for my personal gain.