Category: Will L

After finishing the second half of Writing Our Way Out, I was glad to know that the men who shared their stories were able to begin “normal” lives after being incarcerated. I realize though that their normal is going to be different from my definition of normal and to them it most likely isn’t actually normal to them because of how we learned how early on in their lives they were hurt. Seeing how many of them gained a new outlet to motivate them and to keep them going, whether that was family or religion was comforting. This hard wired way of thinking was so unfortunate to see but knowing they didn’t realize how bad it was until they had physical copies of their stories on paper; seeing how this opportunity helped them reconcile with their pasts was very motivating. I understand how different it is to have a physical thing, for example their story on paper rather than in their mind. It was unfortunate to hear about the men who got arrested again, although I understand that there is no perfect rehabilitation for everyone. In some cases the word rehabilitation itself doesn’t quite fit for someone because that implies that, as I stated earlier, they were “normal” and it isn’t their fault but that’s just all they know and have known. This book reinforced my understanding that incarcerated people are still people. I was lucky enough to have a teacher in high school who shared this same idea and shared that with my class. 

I feel that Naji’s story was one that I connected with because of how it involves his grandparents and how different his relationship with his grandmother is from mine. He had to live with his grandparents because his mother died unexpectedly when he was young and he never knew his father. His grandparents physically abused him and his brother, especially his grandmother. This caused him to seek love and acceptance throughout his life, which might have led him to do irresponsible things. This caused him to begin to use drugs and in order to obtain these drugs he had to steal. It also conditioned him into a life of hate especially toward white people, and it was only emphasized with every racist comment and encounter he grew up with.  Although after being incarcerated he started to read and learn. It was around this time when he was introduced to the Nation of Islam. This changed his views on the world and began to heal the hatred that he had in his heart. When he heard that the first man on earth was black he changed his name from James Canady to Naji Faruk Mujahid. After he was let out of prison he learned that his grandmother had Alzheimer’s disease and couldn’t remember the abuse that she put him and his brother through. This caused him to have to take care of her and he did, even though he knew she couldn’t apologize for what she did. Both sharing his story in Coogan’s collection and his Muslim faith helped him on a path to restarting his life.

Before beginning Writing Our Way Out I thought that the stories that the incarcerated persons would be sharing would be more focused on the present or even what they may have done to end up where they were. Instead, I was surprised to read about their childhoods and the other realities that are occurring in these men’s lives. Whilst reading their stories I get a small glimpse into their lives and emotions; I realize that I cannot truly appreciate their experiences, but in reading I get an understanding of their identity. There are many parallels and differences between each of their stories, emotional distress and lack of family support cause many of the issues that led to their incarceration. This book represents how storytelling can be used by anyone and refined with help by someone to allow a person to share their authentic life.

After reading “Portfolio Keeping,” my understanding of what a portfolio is and how I would create one has changed. I originally thought that a portfolio was just a compilation of my old work. One that others would use to see how my final works have changed so that others can comment on my capabilities. However, after reading I realize I should focus on a portfolio that requires ongoing reflection so that I can see how I’ve improved/changed. Making a portfolio isn‘t meant to just show my best work. It is a process by which I can document all of my work, whether it’s the final piece or my first outline. It shows my progress and allows me to assess my journey, it reflects both my writing skills as well as my personal thinking growth. With a portfolio, I hope to be able to learn how to reflect better as well as help me to see my strengths and weaknesses.

Last year, as a senior, in my Native American Spirituality course our teacher organized us into groups and assigned us different indigenous groups to research and present about. My group was able to be successful because we delegated out different areas of research to each person in the group and then swapped to fact check each other before putting it all together into a slideshow and presenting our original area of the project.