Reflection Letter

I have found who I am through this first year of college. My name is David Chitwood, but I go by my middle name Mitchel. I have found that my true self is that I am a follower of Jesus Christ and nothing can ruin this. This first year of college has been a struggle, but with my faith in Him I can do all things. What would someone need to know about me before reading my works? I always stay true to myself. I stay strong to my opinions, but I am open to hearing others’ as well. My opinions will play an important role in my education. I have three major career goals for my life, and these goals are: a counterterrorism analyst, senator of Washington, and President of the United States. Not only will my opinions play an important role; being myself, the person God made me, will also be just as important.

This quarter has been different then the last two quarters. I have grown in understanding the terms of community, identity, and tradition. These traits play an important role in our every day lives. In the identity unit, I was able to be myself and analyze myself. Like I have said many times before, I am a believer that Jesus Christ died on the cross for my sins and rose on the third day to conquer death so that I can have everlasting life with Him in heaven. Then moving into the community unit it was a struggle. I am still trying to comprehend “community”. Being a runner for the last seven years, I have run into the running community. This helped me form the conclusion that community is a group of people who have similar likes and dislikes representing those likes and dislikes. Moving into the tradition unit, I felt this could have been the hardest for me…especially when I decided to write about family time for my tradition essay. My family doesn’t have any family time and it hurts me emotionally, but it is fact that the DVR has brought my family together and brings back the tradition of watching family shows and movies.

For the intermission unit, I chose to watch the film Rabbit Proof Fence. This movie represented many different issues and traits, but the one trait that stood out to me was courage. The girls are almost home and the tracker is getting closer to finding them when he then comes across the girls’ mother. The tracker has a gun in hand and the mother has a spear in her hand. The mother begins walking closer to the man threatening to stab him with the spear. The tracker then stumbles over bushes as he tries to back away and eventually runs off. This showed me that no matter who you are, you can take a stand and make a difference.

Later on you will be reading pieces of my work from throughout the quarter. Some of these pieces are my best and others are in need of improvement. For the first one that you will come across is the critical thinking topic. I chose the Movie Talk Discussion Board post on that I made on the movie Rabbit Proof Fence. I felt that this piece of discussion showed how I critically think about a certain movie. I stated two scenes from the movie that played an important role in my critical analysis. The first scene will bring up the issue of taking away someone’s identity through the removal of their native language. The second scene will show how courage can take one to new limits. The next topic is the revision piece (I had many to choose from). I chose a different piece then most students; I chose the very first Discussion Board post in the Coming Attractions Unit. As you will read, I felt that the issue of gendered messages has been impacting my life ever since I let people know I am head over heels for Céline Dion. The third piece of my writing is in the category of Voice and Audience. I chose my “What’s in Your Wallet?” blog posting. I felt I really captured the audience’s attention and held on to it. The most important thing on this posting for me was to be humorous, serious, and me. The fourth and final piece of work was the writer’s, my, choice and I chose the tradition essay. This was a very personal essay for me because I don’t write about my family much in regards to feeling like I am not recognized anymore. But on the other hand, I feel this was my strongest essay of the year, even though the grade wasn’t as high as I had hoped, I still felt I did everything to make my point clear that the Digital Video Recorder has saved my family in keeping “family time” alive.

My final thoughts about this quarter have to be; never give up. This was my first online class and it was a challenge and different, but it also had a positive side. I was able to focus more on my writing and I was able to interact with everyone in the class rather than just a couple. I found that it is best to keep going rather than staying frustrated with it. For example, the identity essay. I was having the hardest time trying to come up with ideas that I could write off of. Unfortunately, the right idea never came into mind and my essay grade and essay itself suffered. Towards the end we were talking about pop culture and that is why this quote from Steven Tyler, off of American Idol, is alright to mention, “It’s not about how many times you fall down. It’s about how many times you get back up.”

Intro to Critcal Thinking

Most people would choose an essay to resemble their critical thinking skills at work, but I found that this one discussion board was really what showed how I can analyze a movie. The movie is Rabbit Proof Fence, and it is about a tribe in Australia. The main characters include three little girls Molly, Daisy, and Gracie. These girls all under the age of 12 were taken from their tribe because the superior other, the white man, felt that “those people” need to be washed out. The girls are sent to a settlement where they are not allowed to speak their native tongue. Not feeling at home, the girls decided to find their way home by following the rabbit proof fence. There is a tracker that is following them and Gracie is the only one who does not make it home because she departed from the group and was picked up.

As soon as the movie ended, I had to write about it in the Movie Talk Discussion Board and that was where I related to and analyzed the movie. I took on two parts of the movie that really stuck out to me. The first part was when the leaders of the settlement kept forcing upon the girls to speak English and that their native tongue was not allowed. I was able to relate to this because I have always ad that sense of “If you come to America then you must speak English. Don’t expect us to learn your language.” After watching the film it made me change everything because I then thought of how that language defines who they are and is part of their identity.

The second scene was when one of the trackers goes to the girl’s home and begins to walk through the bushes and he knows he is getting closer to the girls. Then comes the mother of the girls and she stands at him ready to strike him with the spear in hand. Even though he has a gun in hand, he stumbles over bushes trying to get away. This brought to my mind Rosa Parks. Just taking that stand can make a huge difference and it showed me courage at work.

Rabbit Proof Fence

Wow...

Rabbitproof Fence was really a great movie. I saw many traits throughout the whole movie like courage, determination, power, sadness, hope and many others. This movie had two specific scenes that I could relate to (not in a personal way, but by having an understanding).
The first scene that showed a sense of an "A-HA" moment was when the girls first arrived to the Moore River settlement and they began to speak their native tongue. The tall (scary) guy walks up and says, "you will speak English only here". And again in that same settlement one of the ladies that was in charge told the girls to not speak their native tongue. I found this to be very relatable because I hear a lot of people saying, "If those people want to move to America then they should speak English. We shouldn't have to put their language on produces, tags, or boxes." Americans, aren't we supposed to be open to the many immigrants from around the world? But immigrants why should we have to conform to your language if you are coming here? I find this a very hard topic to approach. Of course, in the film the girls were being forced to speak English, and here in America no one is forced to speak any language. It does make more sense to speak one language, so it is easier to interact with one another.
The second "A-HA" moment I got from this film was when the Australian Army guy (I don't know what to call him) goes through the woods at Jigalong (where they lived) and when the soldier goes around the bush he comes face to face with the mother of Molly and the grandmother of Molly. The soldier has a gun in hand, but when the mother points her stick (sharp end) at the soldier he nervously walks away and stumbles. This reminded me of Rosa Parks. Even though she did stand up to the white person and didn't move from the front of the bus, she still stood up to the 'enemy' and later became a hero for the Civil Rights just like Molly's mother became a hero to Molly and her younger sister.
These were the two scenes that really stuck with me. Don't get me wrong, the whole movie was really good and to top it off I had no idea it was a true story! I found that very exciting!

Intro to Revision

In this very first discussion board for this English class, we were to talk about ourselves such as talk about why we are going to college, what defines us, and what is unique about us. I originally posted about my faith in Jesus Christ and talked about what I believe; that God sent his one and only son to die on the cross for my sins then rose on the third day to conquer death so that I can have everlasting life in heaven.

This category is to be our revision piece and I felt a huge burden to choose this discussion board post. For the last two years I have been attacked by being called gay because I have an “obsession” with Céline Dion. I think that this is an important piece to include in what describes me because people don’t realize how much I listen to her on a daily basis. I sometimes think of her as a family member because she is in the house and my car a lot of the time. The real problem that I face is being called gay and thrown into that gendered message pool. “Men aren’t supposed to listen to girl music.” What’s girly about Céline Dion other than she is a girl? Céline Dion is the most famous artist in the entire world. She has over 200 million albums sold, which is more than any other artist, and when she ran her vegas show for five years; the show was sold out every single night. Why can’t a man listen to someone who has had that much success, and if they can then why do they have to be labeled as gay?

That topic has been on my mind ever since I finished my first draft of that discussion board post. Men shouldn’t be afraid to admit what they like because they might be called gay. There is no reason for calling men gay. It makes no sense. This is an issue that plays on to other issues men face, like keeping emotions inside instead of letting them out. Therefore, I would like to revise this discussion board post and talk more about what describes me.

New Me!

Hello Everyone,

First off I would like to say that I go by my middle name; Mitchel. I am excited for this quarter to start rolling! I have skimmed through the book and found a couple selections very interesting. My identity...who I am...Well, I believe that God sent his one and only Son to die on the cross for my sins then rose on the third day, so that I can have everlasting life. Jesus Christ is my life, He makes me who I am. I have grown up with the understanding that church is something you go to every Sunday, but now I have come to know that I can't just go to church, but I have to take the church out to the world by showing God's love and being that example towards others. I am proud to say that the Lord has opened the door for me to start on the path of becoming a Counterterrorism Analyst with the National Security Agency. Eventually, I hope to move into politics and become a congressman for the state of Washington. Leadership is a skill I have been given.

One more understanding that people need to know about me is that I have been trying to tackle the issue of gendered messages. I am completely head over heels for Céline Dion. The price that I have paid for this is that people have labeled me as gay. Gay as in feminine or as in me liking men, I have no idea; just gay. How is it that a man, me, can’t get away with like the most successful female artist in the entire world? She has sold over 200 million albums, which is more than any other female artist, and she had a five year show in Las Vegas where every night was completely sold out. Men should not have to hide something like this. If we, men, can’t like Céline Dion without being called gay, does that mean we can’t listen to Mariah Carey, Taylor Swift, Whitney Houston, Black Eyed Peas (remember Fergie is in the group!), or Carrie Underwood? Céline Dion is a part of my life as is any other artist that one may listen to; she just happens to be the one artist I listen the most to. There is one reason that I want to get across to this nation is; Men, don’t be afraid to admit what you like! You may be called some labels you don’t want to be called, but you know what is right and more importantly who you are.

I cannot wait to see what the Lord has in store for the rest of my life! I also cannot wait to learn from all of you guys too! Hope everyone has a great first week!

Intro to What You Want to Read!

The blog posting of “What’s in your wallet?” is the perfect example of how I grasped the audiences attention and kept them interested. I wanted to avoid the dreaded list. No one wants to read what is in someone’s wallet if all what one is going to do is put it in a list. I decided to make it funny and myself. The assignment was to show that the things in your wallet describe who you are as a human being. The time of which I was to post that, I had a lot of just junk in my wallet, so I thought it was a perfect time to bring in some humor. “Then comes all the coupons that I can possibly find in my wallet.” This is one example of how I tried to avoid saying I have junk, but my wallet definitely shrunk after I removed all the coupons. The other sentence that I tried to turn into a funny was, “Red Robin Bottomless Rewards card (Red Robin…YUM!), a Starbucks card, an Old Navy gift card (about three years old).” My goal was to try and tell the audience who I was through humor, objects, and the last part of the assignment; what wasn’t in my wallet that I wish was. My objective was to inform the audience who I am through the fold of my wallet, and this helped me become more comfortable writing in a discussion board for the whole class to see.

I am glad that this assignment was at the beginning of the quarter because this helped boost my confidence for the reason that my other classmates now know who I am as a writer. This assignment, in other words, helped me be who I am through writing and that is how I became so comfortable in this class.

Through the Folds of My Wallet

Imagine this, you are walking down the street of Seattle and you come across a wallet. Hopefully out of instinct you pick up that wallet and you open it...pulling out everything inside, you examine that wallet. The person you are about to meet through the folds of the wallet is me.
First you will see a driver's license hind a plastic wrap with all the information of David Mitchel Chitwood. Behind that picture you will see two pictures, one of the pictures is of my grandparents. This shows that I carry their love everywhere I go. They are two people who have helped show the world to me. Then the second picture is of a little girl. Her name is Maddy, and I met her at a church camp. She has become a part of my life and family in so many ways. I want to make a difference one life at a time and God has put her right in my path.
In a pocket just to the right of the plastic wrap are many cards and papers. The cards consist of my debit card, Red Robin Bottomless Rewards card (Red Robin.....YUM!), a Starbucks card, an Old Navy card (about three years old), and a Barnes and Noble gift card. Then comes all the coupons I can possibly fit into a wallet. The coupons range from toothbrushes to movies.
Finally, in the most important slot (where the cash goes), you will find a lot of cash that doesn't ever get spent. I'm sure you will come to the conclusion that I am "loaded", but I am not loaded. I just don't like spending money. This slot not only holds the money, but it currently will be holding two tickets to see Celine Dion in Las Vegas on August 14, 2011.
What you won't find in my wallet just happens to be the most important object in my entire life and that is my Bible. This what truely defines my identity. My relationship with my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ is what my life is, was, and always will be about.