It has come to my attention that you have helped some teenagers to reduce their punishment by the law. How do you balance the relationship between the victim and the defendant?
One of the important duties of the law is to maintain a system of social justice and to reduce the likelihood that the victim will retaliate against the defendants. Does forgiveness of abusers increase the likelihood of social unrest at some level? How do you balance the relationship of victims and defendants?
Kelvin: How did you avoid being influenced by your family?
Kelvin: When you went to the Idlewood Avenue saw people there had an extravagant lifestyles, why did you “Never said to myself, yeah, I got to live that and have those things”? Did’t you feel unbalanced?
Kelvin: You love your family, and you are also optimistic about your life, have you ever want to bring your family a different life?
David Coogan: While writing the book “Writing our way out”, what does it brought you?
I agree to the class commitments.
Memoirs serve as a powerful tool to truly understand an individual, delving beyond the surface to explore their experiences, family background, and social circles, and revealing the essence of their inner thoughts. “Writing Our Way Out” presents a unique opportunity to gain insight into a group often shunned by society: criminals. The program’s founder, David Coogan, views memoir writing as a means of rehabilitation for incarcerated individuals. Coogan guides them through a journey of self-discovery by examining their upbringing, helping them grasp the struggles they faced as children. By dissecting prisoners’ childhoods, this program uncovers the complete personalities of these individuals, providing a comprehensive understanding of the motivations behind their crimes. Digging into prisoners’ inner cores, their evilness dispelled and their kindness, sympathy, and their enthusiasm for life came back.
As I explore the narratives of these characters and their innermost souls, one realization becomes clear: nobody is born a criminal. Factors such as an absent father or growing up in an environment rife with crime, drugs, and despair can be catalysts of crime. Take Dean, for instance, whose father proved to be a neglectful presence in his life, yet he still love him. Similarly, Stan, living in a cramped one-bedroom apartment on Grace Street, constantly wanted to make changes – he joined a sales team that sold magazines door-to-door. However, life always exploits them ruthlessly.
In my perspective, this book serves not only as a record of prisoners’ journeys towards redemption but also as a heartfelt outcry from the underprivileged against the injustices they have endured in life.
“Writing Our Way Out” provides readers with a valuable glimpse into the real-life experiences of prisoners. This memoir effectively reveals the different realities faced by those in prison through biographical stories that bring their lives to the forefront. The characters in this book are well-drawn, going beyond their roles as prisoners. As I dive into their stories, I can truly understand their pain, suffering, and, most importantly, different identities they have.
The author’s choice not to reduce prisoners to symbols of guilt. Instead, David Coogan goes beyond – he takes great care to show them as unique individuals, each with their own backgrounds, feelings, and social connections. Coogan’s attention to detail and logical storytelling make these characters feels authentic and reliable.
https://blog.richmond.edu/storytelling2023/
Today’s class began with a focus on reviewing our prep notes, emphasizing the significance of reflection and self-improvement. One student shared an effective method for daily mood reflection, involving self-assessment through a series of questions and ratings on a scale of one to ten. Professor Dolson then underscored the importance of maintaining self-notes and recommended creating Google documents for this purpose. These private notes serve as objective observations rather than judgment. “the act of writing is an act of thinking,” as Professor Dolson aptly stated.
After this initial reflection, our attention shifted to the Memory article. We embarked on an exploration into its origins and purpose. We searched the meaning of “Chronicle Higher Education” and discerned that Britt Peterson authored the article driven by his personal interests and expertise in the field. The content of the article draws from psychological scientific research.
This led to a broader discussion on how our memories play a pivotal role in shaping our identities, as Professor Dolson highlighted, “we become partly who we think of ourselves, influenced by how we’ve learned to integrate those memories.” During this discussion, a student shared their earliest memory—an endearing recollection of his dog protecting him by catching a bee when he were three years old. Professor Dolson contributed her own early memory, recounting an incident involving the police visiting due to a chemical spill. These anecdotes brought to the forefront the role of fear in enhancing memory formation. Professor Dolson aptly summarized the essence of memory, emphasizing that it possesses context and is not merely a collection of facts but rather a collection of narratives.
The class then delved into an exploration of long-term and short-term memory. One student posited that the duration of memory storage depends on various parts of the brain, while another student, drawing on psychological knowledge from high school, noted that long-term memory can retain information permanently, whereas short-term memory people can only remember for a period of time.
Then, we were introduced to the work of Polly Wiessner, an anthropology professor at the University of Utah, through the article “Firelight.” The article illuminates how the absence of light around a fire can serve as a catalyst for storytelling. It liberates storytellers from the constraints of judgment because listeners can’t easily notice facial expressions. This sparks our curiosity about the intricate role stories play in connecting individuals across distances. Stories, we learned, are not just narratives; they are a means of cultural transmission, allowing us to understand our societal roles.
After the general overview of the “Portfolio Keeping,” my comprehension of creating a portfolio has significantly deepened. I used to perceive a portfolio merely as a compilation of my past work, and a tool for others to assess my capabilities — which called “Portfolio for Presentation.” However, I should be more emphasize in “Portfolio for Learning,” which requires ongoing reflection to showcase my growth. Creating a portfolio isn‘t just about summarizing past achievements; it’s a dynamic process that allows me to document my journey of learning by doing. It embodies the consistency of my progress and self-assessment. In essence, a Portfolio serves as a mirror for me, reflecting not only my writing skills’ enhancement but also my personal growth. Through the Portfolio, I aim to become a more reflective learner. It helps me keep a watchful eye on myself—my preferences, strengths and weaknesses.
Back in 10th grade, I founded the Environmental Protection Organization at my school. To make it run smoothly, I set up different teams for different tasks, and we did pretty well, putting together events and activities for a few weeks.
However, we hit a few bumps in the road. Our efficiency dipped because of the bureaucracy. Realizing that our group wasn’t that big, I decided to switch things up. Instead of splitting everyone into teams, I brought us all together as one big team.
This new approach worked wonders. We could tackle problems together as a united group, and the old issues were a thing of the past. We all worked better as a team and shared the rewards equally. This change made us a lot more effective, and our club ended up becoming one of the top clubs in the school.
Daily Class Notes.
From the syllabus, I learned we have to fully engage into the class – being a good speaker or a good listener. Being a college student, do something outside of the class is critical, including prepare for the next class or do some extra works.
How we gonna utilize our textbooks ( to improve our writing ability) are the question I am wondering.
Last Week we paired up to listen/tell stories to each others. I learnt a lot from the activity including how to be a good listener and how I can organize a story, make my story graphic, making people understand it better.
Powered by WordPress & Theme by Anders Norén