Reflecting - Reflection #11

I came into the class not knowing very much about Superman.  I knew of him and what his super powers and weaknesses were, but not what he stood for.  I found it very fascinating that Superman really represents the ideal American.  Born an immigrant, coming to America, and experiencing a "normal" life growing up, he really represents what all Americans had experienced and what they wanted to strive to become.  Superman is the epitome of the American value and a true American icon, and his stories and what he stands for has taught me a lot about the history of superheroes and their true meanings.  Reading Superman Earth #1 and the many articles attempting to breakdown his character is what really helped me understand why we all value Superman as a hero and what he stands for.

I used to think that the Hulk wasn't really a superhero.  His massive stature and incredible rage always lead me to believe he was more of a villain than a hero.  After reading his origin story and more about his character, it was clear that he was much more than the "green dude" I had previously identified him as.  He is a caring and compassionate genius that is only trying to protect those around him from his uncontrollable state.

There is not much I have learned about myself that I didn't already know, but I have more confirmed why I act the way I do, and what superheroes I am similar to.  I am often stubborn (Iron Man), angry (The Hulk), wise (Prof. Xavier), intelligent (The Hulk, Iron Man, Spider-man, etc.) and many other expressions that can be represented as the many heroes we have discussed in class.

I feel that a topic that should have been more prominent in the class is teamwork.  Many of the very popular Superheroes and Super-groups rely on teamwork to accomplish their tasks (X-Men, The Avengers, The Justice League, etc.).  Teamwork is a very important idea in our lives as well.  We are required to work together in classes, in the workplace, and it is just human-nature to work together.  Talking more about groups like X-Men and the Avengers and how they sort of resemble teamwork in ourselves would have facilitated discussing more about this topic.  These groups are very important in the comic book and superhero realm, and I think it would have done justice to cover their back-story a little more.

Every superhero we have reflected on this semester is somewhat an extension of ourselves.  Each superhero has a story about how they came to be, what they stand for, and what they are trying to accomplish.  In a sense, this is true for every human being as well.  We look to strive for some higher meaning, and we try to stand for something bigger than ourselves.  No one hero can really represent a model for good citizenship, because all of them have their own advantages and their own flaws.  The best model for good citizenship comes from a collection of all of the superheroes we have discussed, because they all have something different to contribute.

Hero - Reflection #10

At first, the coach says that Thom is a medical liability because of his seizures.  Thom realizes, however that this is not the case; it is because he is "different".  Thom is gay, and the coach doesn't accept that fact.  The coach didn't handle this situation in a good manner.  If I were in Thom's position, I would be very upset and angry with the coach.  It is not right for someone to discriminate against someones sexuality, especially if it has nothing to do with the situation.  Someone's sexuality does not affect their skills or their personality, so it should not have been a concern of the coach to treat Thom differently and not let him continue being a part of the team.  If this situation had happened to me, my parents would be incredibly upset.  They believe in equal opportunity for everyone, and so they would have fought very hard for my opportunity to continue being on the team.

She is trying to tell him not to wait around for his own happiness.  Thom needs to take his skills and knowledge and make his own happiness.  He needs to make his own path in life.  Life isn't just going to hand anyone a break; they have to make best with what they have and try and sore with it.  There is nothing I am waiting for to make myself happy.  I am working hard for everything so that later on in my life I am happy.  One can be in charge of their own happiness by first determining what makes them happy.  Once they are able to do that, it is a matter of setting goals and determining how to achieve that happiness.

I think that everyone deserves to have at least one moment in their lifetime where an entire crowd of people is cheering them on for something.  This moment is hard to come by, but everyone has a skill that can cause this to happen to themselves.  It doesn't have to be for an athletic event either.  Someone can be very good at acting, or music, or teaching, and they deserve that one moment just as much as anyone else.  For me, this event would happen for teaching, specifically for math or computer science.  I have been a tutor for 2 years now, and it is a good moment when I am able to share knowledge with a fellow student, and help them understand an idea or concept they didn't previously understand.  This is my big moment.  These kinds of things give me confidence and pride in myself.  It is really a defining moment for me.

I don't believe in a "perfect first kiss".  Every kiss is different and unique in its own way.  Some have "perfect aspects" about them, but there is always something that could improve upon the situation.  I believe it is possible to achieve something close to the perfect first kiss.  Although it may not be perfect, once you meet your "soul-mate", the kiss will feel very near perfect, especially as you reflect on the situation.  I have never had a crush on a famous figure.  I have always had some envy for famous figures, because of their lifestyle, but never a crush.  I believe people have crushes on them because they idolize them.  It is more of the fact that they want to be able to live a life like famous people, rather than they have sexual appeal towards that person. 

Open Topic - Reflection #9

For this weeks open topic, I decided to reflect on the upcoming superhero movie, The Avengers. More specifically, I wanted to discuss some of the foreseeable problems some of the superheroes/characters might have when they are forced to work together in order to save the world. Each character on the team has some sort of flaw that will effect the team's overall ability.


Iron Man
Iron Man is sort of a complex character. Born average, he grew up into a super genius who develops a highly advanced suit that gives him the ability to fly, protects himself, and gives him advantages in combat. Although his "powers" seem perfect and controllable, the character behind Iron Man is far from that. Tony Stark is, deep down, a very arrogant, controlling, and selfish individual. He strives on attention and attempts to show off at any possible moment. This will be a huge issue for the team, especially if the task cannot be handled by one man. Tony has never had the experience of sharing the glory and working with others, so that will be an issue he has to face in the film. After pushing through these issues, I see Iron Man being one of the main leader figures.

Thor
Thor's character had a bumpy development throughout his film. First he was a show-off, battle-ready, power-hungry son of a god, then very soon learned that his previous characteristics caused him to be banished from his home. In order to gain his powers back, he was forced to prove himself worthy and change his attitude about life. This development will help the team in the long run, because they won't have to focus on teaching Thor to be a "team player". Thor will be ready to make the morally sound choice for the betterment of the team. His father was able to show him that fighting isn't always the right thing to do, but there are times when it is necessary. I feel this characteristic will show through in the new film.

Captain America
Captain America is going to have a much different experience working on the team compared to the other members. This is because he has a disadvantage that none of the other characters face: culture shock. Captain America is nearly perfect in his character's morality and control of powers. He gained his powers because of his personality, and he excels at every heroic task handed to him. The only problem he will face in the new film is the culture shock. Being asleep for 70 years, things in society have changed dramatically. Some stories tell that people who face a massive culture change often go into shock and turn "crazy". Although I don't think this would ever happen in the movie, the fact that Captain America is in a foreign time will certainly prove to be a drawback. However his personality and powers will certainly be positive for the team.

My lack of knowledge of the other characters of the team prevented me from commenting on their contribution and the problems they might face. Hulk will probably experience anger issues and troubles coping with the team members. As for Green Hornet, I have no previous knowledge of the character, so will be unable to comment on him.


Overall, the movie should be filled with character development, plot twists, and plenty of action.

Real-life Heroes - Reflection #8

When I think about a superhero costume, I think primarily about utility. A costume should not only look "decent," but it should have some functionality, otherwise it seems mundane. With this being said, here are my responses regarding the reflection.

1.  I would construct my costume out of something strong, but lightweight as well. A Kevlar vest would be ideal for protect, as it is rather lightweight for it's strength. Underneath the vest, I would probably wear spandex, or some similar type of material. It doesn't seem very protective, but it is lightweight and skin-tight, so it won't be loose and in the way during running or fighting. I would also probably wear some type of leather (or other strong material) gloves, some elbow and knee padding, and some running shoes. Along with the costume, I would also have some sort of utility belt, much like batman, so that I am ready for any situation. The belt could include weapons like pepper spray, a pocket knife, a taser gun, and possible a real gun, if the law permits (carried/concealed license). I would probably also sport a mask, as the identity of a superhero should always be preserved, to protect loved ones. I would not want my adversaries to know my true identity and possible meddle with my real life. 
   
   
2. There are not very many visible homeless people in my home town, so it would be more useful for me to deter crime. I'm not very familiar with the crime rate of my hometown, but it is a rather large city, so I would assume that there would be enough, if not more crime than I can handle. If this was the case, I would advocate for more people to join me as superheroes to keep the town and it's citizens safe. 
   
   
3. The hero I relate to most from the Superhero documentary is Zimmer. I relate to them because of what he and his team stands for, and what they do for the community. Everyone should be proud of who they are, and I feel this is the key idea Zimmer portrays. He doesn't hide from his sexuality, and in fact uses it to his advantage, along with the skills he learns for aiding physical harm. At night, he and his team patrol the streets looking for crime, and in one case, end up giving first aid to a man who was a part of a hit-and-run. This team, most notably Zimmer, seems to have good morals and work for a good cause, which is why I feel I relate to them most. As a superhero, I would be sure to fight for the right causes, and protect the people from harm.

Mutations - Reflection #7

When I imagine having internal vs. external powers, I see two completely different things. When imagining having a power like Storm, I see more happiness inside. There is a feeling of joy that I don't see when imagining having a power like Beast or Rogue. When I imagine having a power like Rogue, I feel a lot of bitterness and resentment toward my power due to not being viewed as "normal" by the general public. I stand out in a crowd, in a bad way, which I view negatively. As far as similarities, in both imaginations, I feel powerful and helpful. With either power, I feel like I can do some good for the world. As far as relating it to groups in "real-life" society, I can see two different relations. Looking at the internal/external powers as a whole, I can see them relating to a police force, FBI agents, Firefighters, etc. The fact that they can use their powers for good, makes me see them as groups in our society that out for the greater-good of mankind. However, if I look at the two powers separately, I can see some differences. When thinking about having external powers, I still view them as being good and trying to help people overall, however I see them more as people view handicapped people today. No matter how much we should not judge others, whenever people see handicapped individuals, they usually don't look past their disability, but rather feel sorry for that individual. If I were to have external powers, I feel that I would be viewed like a handicapped person - not necessarily felt sorry for, but viewed differently and judged, because I am different than the majority of society. 

X-Men comics, TV shows, and films might help groups or individuals find their place in society because the stories told in those mediums express one key thing: that it is okay to be different. That message isn't expressed enough in real-life society, and so individuals don't understand that being different just means you are unique and your own individual. X-Men stories do a great job of expressing this idea because that is basically the very idea of X-Men. It is a group of unique people who don't know their place in the world, and don't know whether to accept themselves as mutants. They work together and learn together to understand their place and how they can help society with their special abilities.

I would relate most to Cyclops. I am a very serious person, and take things I do very seriously, much like Cyclops. However, I do have a soft side, and take things to heart, much like Cyclops. If I were to have mutant powers, regardless of whether they were internal or external, I would not seek for a cure. The mutant powers would be an extension of who I am as a person. Everybody should strive to be their own individual and to be unique in their own way. If I were to have mutant powers, that would be what makes me different from everyone else, and that would define who I am as a person. Rather than hiding my mutations, I would use them to my, and society's, advantage. I would be sure that I was trying to make a difference in society by using my uniqueness.

Friendship and Beliefs - Reflective Essay #6

I would have to say that most of my friendships are considered pleasure friendships, in Aristotelian terms. However, I would also have to say that some of my relationships could be considered a mixture of both pleasure and utility. Those instances are, oddly enough, with a select few professors on campus. I would consider at least one professor under this category. I often find myself in his office late into the afternoon talking about random things, not even remotely related to class, or even academics. As far as my other relationships, mainly with students on campus, I would consider them to be solely pleasure based. Some of my friends do share the same major as me, and we do talk about academia together, however the bulk of our friendship is pleasure-based. I would also have to say that I have one virtuous relationship, with my girlfriend. The way we interact with each other and how we compliment each other's life reaches far beyond that of a pleasure-based relationship. Anything I do to improve the relationship we have is solely for her; I try to never think about myself as far as the relationship goes, and I believe that shows it is a virtuous one.

A situation where some of my core beliefs were questioned happened quite recently. I have always been taught that people have different views on certain aspects of life, and to respect their decisions, even if I do not agree with them. Recently, my fraternity has had internal issues, where some members were going out of their way to cause problems, and be, in an essence, "problem children". This was causing damage to the structure of our fraternity. Long story short- our fraternity started to divide. All of a sudden I was in a position where I pretty much had to choose sides- something I have never had to handle before. In this case, if I chose one side, the other side resented me. It was unhealthy, as friends, and as a fraternity, to handle the situation like we did. If we had gone by what my parents had taught me, we might have bypassed the issues our fraternity had faced.

Creativity - Reflective Essay #5

Looking back at my childhood, I realized I don't recall much of my past. There are very few memories of my childhood I remember, none of which I was creative. As a kid, I was never very creative. In art class, whenever we were asked to draw or paint a picture, I would always look for something around the room that I liked, and tried to imitate that on paper. I was never a creative person. I always think of myself as more of a logical thinker than a creative one, which is the reason why I cannot recall a time in my childhood where I was creative.

Math comes natural to me, which is based primarily on sets of "rules". In computer science (my second passion), it is all about following rules and using the tools provided to you to create something new. However, some problems that need to be solved are not always apparent (if they were, life would be easy and we wouldn't have to do anything, but that's not the case). This is where I tap into what could be called my "creative" side. Often I find myself using unconventional ways of solving problems within my studies of mathematics and computer science. This is where my creative side comes into play in my life.

The first creative moment that comes to mind happens in the Captain America: The First Avenger movie. After being injected with the serum that makes him super human, there are many moments where the creative side of Steve Rogers comes into play. After Dr. Erskine is killed by the spy, Steve chases the killer. There are moments in the movie where Steve is being shot at. Many people would duck out of the way to avoid being shot. Rather than doing so, he picks up the closest object to act as a shield. Specifically, he picks up a taxi car door to block the shots. Also, earlier in the film, when he is being beaten up by a bully in an ally, rather than backing down or running away, he attempts to defend himself with a trash can lid. Both of these scenes are foreshadowing for when he becomes the iconic Captain America and has the shield everyone knows and loves, and are key scenes expressing Steve Rogers creativity.