Meeting with ESL Partner: Numero Dos

So it has been awhile since I have posted my meetings with my ESL partner. It is not that I have not been meeting up with him but I have been awfully busy and now I finally have time to blog about my encounters. This one occurred on Tuesday, March 26. We met at the classic 1873. We talked about Spring Break and neither of us did anything super exciting. I spent mine with my family and he spent his working at his job at a hotel in Fort Worth. I asked him if the humor in Mexico was different than the humor in the US and he said that it is actually pretty similar. Although some of our idioms differ due to language differences, Mexicans still find humor in many of the same things Americans find funny. He said this is helpful for him because he wants to one day be an actor, film producer, or a radio broadcaster and so it is nice that he does not have to alter his sense of humor for the typical American audience. I also found out that he really enjoys watching funny YouTube videos just like the ones we watch in class. He also said that he finds the costumes that Mariachi bands wear to be funny. One particular thing I noticed while talking to Christian is that we both laugh when the other person mispronounces a word or says an unfamiliar word. For example, he pronounced Kroger with an –aw sound instead of an –o sound and this had me cracking up because it sounded so strange. He also said that he really likes living in Texas because apparently the southern accents make words come out slower and allows him to understand it better. Then we started talking about accents and both found we have a love for British accents but neither of us is very good at doing them (P.S. we tried to at 1873 and people around us probably thought we were strange). We had a great time talking and I feel like I am getting to know my ESL partner better. 

The Souvenirs of Life:

Below are the paragraphs for the assignment "Life Souvenirs"created by Bailey Shepherd and Rachel Ziomek. Enjoy!

“Life’s A Beach” Sign

A small painted sign is the epitome of a gift shop souvenir, but perhaps for a good reason.  A sign is something that can easily be displayed in a house.  Passing by it can make you smile as you recall all of the fun you had on a vacation with friends or family.  Many have inspirational quotes, or even just silly sayings.  This particular one state’s that “Life’s A Beach.”  Sure, it may sound like something on a cheap T-shirt sold at a beach shop, but the saying does have a point.  Life can be stressful and sometimes we need a reminder to take a breath and just enjoy it.  That is why people go to the beach: to get away from the stress of everyday life and relax.  The sign is a reminder that we can enjoy each day like a vacation on the beach if we try.  The tide may be high at times and we have to make an adjustment to our lounging spot, but that’s the good thing about beaches and about life.  The tide ebbs and flows.  Even though things may be looking down at the moment, they will get better.  The beach isn’t necessarily a safe haven.  One can get sunburnt or get swept out by the tide if they’re not careful.  The hurricanes of life may hit us sometimes, but the sign (even if it’s just a cheap souvenir from a gift shop) reminds us that when we step back we can learn to just enjoy the beauty of it all.

“Picture Frame”

Some people use photos and picture frames to essentially trap past memories that they believe characterize the meaning of their lives. Picture frames preserve the past for the pleasure of people living in the present. They are like fossils of memories. The function of a frame is to bring emphasis to a particular enjoyable moment of life caught on camera. Picture frames help to creatively illustrate the positive moments of life that people think are significant. For example, many grandparents (including my own) will cover their homes with picture frames filled with the smiling faces of their family members and grandchildren. They do this to show other people what is important in their lives. Picture frames also encase special mementos that provide a constant reminder of that specific memory. In my dorm room, I have many picture frames that remind me of special events such as prom, graduation, or just being with my friends and family. They are more than decorations because they provide a bittersweet nostalgia of special people and moments in my life that I treasure. Picture may say a thousand words, but it is the picture frame that highlights them.

“Journal”

While pictures can show a snapshot of the moment, only someone’s words can truly describe their personal experience in that moment.  Journals are often found in gift shops, with the idea that people will feel inspired to write about their travels or experiences, but they are more than just gift shop trinkets.  A journal has the ability to capture how a person made sense of that moment in time, and preserve it.  A journal can reveal as much as the writer chooses to share.  They can tell exactly how someone was feeling in a particular moment, or how many moments impacted someone’s life. Journals are treasured objects.  Some diaries may only be seen by the eyes of the writer, while those of people who went on to do great things in life are often published for the multitudes.  Both are just as important.  We use a journal to cherish the present as we record it and the past as we read.  They can remind us of lessons we learned or just a beautiful moment in life.  A journal can help someone not only make sense of their own life, but helps others to understand them as well when shared.

Creepin' on the Laughers

This afternoon for my sociology class, we had to watch a film in one of the lecture halls. During the movie that I was forcing myself to pay attention to, I heard laughter a row behind me. This reminded me of this assignment and so I casually began to listen to the mysterious gigglers behind me. From what I could tell, they were making fun of the movie we were watching. The movie was a dull film over the life of urban farmers. The mischievous laughers made several sarcastic remarks concerning the film. For example, one girl exclaimed, "this is the most exciting film I have ever seen" and "there is no place I would rather be right now than here watching this movie". Also, I overheard them later laughing about people. They had diverted their attention to Instagram and were creeping on photos of some TCU swimmer who I think was named Ford. The swimmer was apparently super good-looking because they made plenty of inappropriate comments concerning his ridiculously good physique. One of the girls even joked about asking him to her formal. Not only did they find this interaction funny, but I also found it rather entertaining. I found it so amusing to listen to that I even found myself laughing! (Which was super embarrassing because the film was definitely not a comedy!) Regardless, this provides just another example of how humor is social. We love to laugh with people and it strengthens our bonds with others when we do. This assignment was definitely an entertaining assignment and, although somewhat creepy, it has made me more aware of how much people just love to laugh.

More Thoughts on Slaughterhouse Five (Chapters 4-6)

After reading more of Slaughterhouse Five, I am starting to understand the deeper complexity of the book. For me, the book is centralizing on the violence of war, the inevitability of death/war, and on how free will is a mere “illusion”. After the description of a death or any unfortunate situation, the narrator will follow up with the phrase “so it goes”. This phrase is frequently repeated throughout the novel and serves to reinforce the nonchalant mindset that the narrator has of time and free will. Although the jumping from moment to moment in Billy’s life is confusing (and requires careful focus when reading!), I think that it is an interesting way to set up the story. I have also taken noticed of more subtle humor in this book. For example, in chapter 6, Billy has to replace his ruined shoes and settles for a pair of Cinderella silver boots that actually fit him! This is funny because of the irony in the fact that Billy is probably the furthest from being Cinderella yet the boots actually fit him perfectly. Also, the fact that Billy is blamed for Roland Weary’s death in chapter 4 is also quite humorous because of how ridiculous it is. Billy had nothing to do with Weary’s death yet because of Weary’s foolishness, Paul Lazzaro will eventually avenge Weary by killing Billy. I think this situation is used by the author to show that revenge and even war itself is senseless and unnecessary. Overall I like this book and find the ingenuity of it extremely amusing. I think it will make for an interesting discussion in class! 

Initial Thoughts of Slaughterhouse Five (Chapters 1-3)

After reading a couple of chapters of Slaughterhouse Five, I have found both the book’s structure and plot to be quite interesting. At first I wondered how a book that focused in part on World War II could be funny? However, I have taken notice of many sentences or situations that I have found humorous. For example, in chapter 2 Weary is described as “Tweedledum or Tweedledee, all bundled up for battle” (p. 37). This not only illustrates the bulkiness of Weary but it also is pretty funny to picture. Also when describing Weary, Vonnegut lists a ridiculously long list of items that Weary has received from home. This is funny because it is unexpected (cognitive shift!) and, if you are like me, you probably just glanced over the items on the list. Another thing that I find humorous about this book is how Billy Pilgrim is displayed in a child-like manner. He is depicted as poorly trained, weak, unprepared, foolish, and basically unfit for the army. Even his name “Billy” gives him an immature quality as opposed to the more adult name of “William”. This book does a lot of jumping around between moments in Billy’s life. My favorite “flashback” or “flashforward” or whatever you’d call it moment so far is the one where Billy is captured by aliens… Or more specifically Tralfamadorians from the planet Tralfamadore. The word “Tralfamadorians” itself is funny but what is funnier is when Billy tells the world of his “alien abduction” and all of his revelations. His poor daughter thinks Billy has gone crazy and, honestly, I do not blame her! My initial thoughts of this book are that it seems intriguing and I am actually curious to see what happens in the chapters to come! Definitely beats Morreal, that’s for sure…

Social Net-Laughing

            In today’s society, the Internet has become a fundamental part of everyday life. People shop, talk, explore, video-chat, and even date on the Internet. It is not unexpected then that the way humor is viewed today has also changed. YouTube videos, funny Facebook pages, parody Twitter accounts, and other social media sites offer numerous ways for people to view humor. One site in particular has recently taken my interest as a form of entertainment. That site is Tumblr. For those of you who do not know, Tumblr is defined as “a blogging platform that allows users to post text, images, videos, links, quotes and audio to their tumblelog, a short-form blog” (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tumblr). Even though Tumblr has been around since 2007, I had never had much interest in it until I observed a friend laughing over a post on a Tumblr page. Since then, Tumblr has become an essential part of my daily “study breaks”. I have found some universal qualities that I believe are what make Tumblr pages so entertaining and humorous. 

            The first thing is that they are relatable. On the Tumblr, THEYCALLMEFUNKYFROG, the person who controls the blog is an anonymous TCU student. Because of this, TCU students can easily empathize with many of his/her posts. For example, one of the posts I found features a caption that reads, “When I’m Studying and Can’t Go Out”.  Below this title is a motion clip from The Little Mermaid of Ariel mouthing “I wanna be where the people are”. This is funny to those viewing it because many college students can relate to those nights when going out with friends is practically impossible due to having a test or quiz the next day. 

            Another reason why I think Tumblr accounts are so hilarious is because most of the time they show scenes or clips from popular TV shows, movies, etc that are themselves funny. Clips like Friends, Modern Family, Bridemaids, Dance Moms, How I Met Your Mother, Keeping Up With the Kardashians, and Mean Girls are frequently quoted on Tumblr blogs to help illustrate some point that the blogger wishes to address. For example, one blog post (also from THEYCALLMEFUNKYFROG) was titled “Sororities During Rush…”. Below the title was a classic scene from Mean Girls with Karen Smith saying “On Wednesdays we wear pink”. This post parodies how sororities can be overly unifying and somewhat obsessed with the concept of sisterhood. 

           The final reason why I think Tumblr pages are fun and sometimes plain addicting to look at is because a lot of them over exaggerate certain situations. For example, on the Tumblr, “Procrastionismymiddlename”, (which is also controlled by a TCU student) there is a post with a caption that reads “When I Haven’t Been to the Gym in a while…”. Below the caption is a clip from Monsters Inc. with Mike Wazowski doing uncontrollable flips on a treadmill. This is funny because it focuses on a cognitive shift. Due to the title, we expect to see a person exhausted or having trouble working out. Instead, however, we see a scene with a monster practically getting beat up by a treadmill because he is so out of shape. There are tons of Tumblr pages out there and my suggestion to all of you reading is to explore some and find the ones that make you laugh!