Sociology.

Personally, I believe that the government cannot be responsible for everything that goes on at home. There must be a point where one's own responsibility must take over for their household. Now if I believed that the government functioned with all of the Christian standards and expectations, without corruption, then maybe I would say that the government should be move involved. The truth is though, the government has corruption in itself, so in an attempt to regulate all family life, there is no way that it would work and still be able to keep the rights that the government has already established. For instance, if one thinks that it is bad to swear around your children to the point of the government interfering, then this would be overstepping the right to freedom of speech. There would be too much overlap and too many different views that are held to be able to effectively control family life. Personally, a spanking is not wrong if a child is misbehaving. I believe that often people do not differentiate between a simple spanking and abuse. But this is where the government must draw the line. As far as abuse goes, the government should have terms and ways to punish these acts, but the government cannot be responsible for every act that takes place in a household. It would be in the government's best interest to involve themselves in acts that are abusive or dangerous, and avoid the little problems within the home. In the Bible, the head of the household needs to take responsibility for their family. I believe if the government was based off of Christian principles, then I would be more encouraged to allow them to work within family life. What is taught in the home should be regulated by the responsibility of those with authority: the parents.

My Subjective Perspective

Although my personal experiences have caused me to see through many different lenses, I am only going to pick out ones that I feel are the most evident in my own lense.

1. I chose a fan as my first symbol. To me the fan represents the fact that I am a woman. I am not as able to understand the circumstances of a man as I am a woman. Therefore, my femininity allows me to not only relate with female characters, but also view things from a feminine background.

2. I chose a flower as my second symbol. This represents my love of nature. I believe the fact that I love being surrounded by nature makes me more able to pick out points within a work of liturature where I believe nature plays a large role. On a different level I love to analyze whether the concept of nature vs. nurture is present. (This could relate to my love of psychology, and analyzing the human mind).

3. Next I chose a small stuffed animal. This represents my youth. I have not experienced the years that many others older than me have. I have not lived in generations before the 90's and this could bias my views alot.

4. This symbol will tie into my third. I chose a floppy disk because this represents that I have lived in an age with a reliance upon technology. I may not always be able to relate to times when there was no such thing as "Google," as well as the fact that most jobs required much more manual labor without technology.

5. My fifth symbol is an American flag key chain. This is to represent the fact that I am an American. I have not experienced many cultures outside of my own and therefore cannot fully understand them. When I am reading works of literature, this can have a huge impact on my understanding.

Feminist Lense- Death of a Salesman

           In the play, Death of a Salesman, the character Linda depicts the author's view of women within this time. Linda was purposeful in becoming the best "housewife" she could be. She took responsibility and care for her family and was concerned both with how their family managed themselves as well as how they appeared to their neighbors and other peers. At this point in history the typical woman was viewed as submissive, and only necessary in the jobs around the house. Linda is usually seen only around the house. Her main locations are the living room, bedroom, and kitchen. Often times her stage directions will be "carrying a washbin" or always retrieving what other character's need. Within the first couple scenes the stage directions even indicate that Linda was "taking off [Willy's] shoes" for him. As the view of a successful household was changing, the woman's role became that of submission to the men around her. Linda was always working  hard to keep the men around her happy and living in comfort. This trait was often seen with the women of this time.

             Furthermore, Linda's relationship with Willy is the most obvious evidence of the view of women within this time. Willy represents the typical man who takes advantage of the women in his life and rely on them for comfort and support while giving them nothing in return. For example, Linda constantly will refer to her husband as "dear" or "darling" while he shows her no mutual treatment of affection. She will constantly make excuses for his rude temperment and shows infinite patience. This presents the woman figure as someone who is weak and will not stand up for herself if it means going against a male figure in her life. All of Linda's actions are in order to make Willy feel comfortable, constantly complementing him saying "Willy, darling, you're the handsomest man in the world" (43). It is evident that the affection from a woman was much for present then that from the man. She is also seen as constantly worrying for her husband and family. She will make sure Willy has everything he needs before he leaves the house and will remind him of small things saying "Be careful on the subway stairs" (75) as if he was a child. The woman figure is presented as the one that must tend to everyone else's needs and make sure that everyone else is well prepared.
                The women are also seen as the one's that hold the men back from persuing a life beyond the home. Since the women are seen as such subservient wives who are completely tied to the home, when Willy hopes to leave the comforts of home she attempts to convince him that everything around home is much better. She not only will respond this way to only Willy, but for the sake of Willy she will react quite differently to her sons. She shouts "Don't you care whether [Willy] lives or dies?" (117). Even in the midst of trying to convince herself that Willy's affair was not true, she will do anything to protect Willy. She demands the respect towards Willy from her children, whether he deserves it or not. The male figure is seen as one that will take advantage of women and disrespect them, even to the length of having an affair. Linda is made to be a wife who at all cost, nomatter what the situation, she will always stay loyal to her husband. Therfore, overall the men are seen to have ultimate control over the women in their lives while the women are intentionally submissive.

Photo Journal Walk

When I think back on this last year of my life I can honestly say that it has been one of the best. I have met people that have already had such a great impact on my life and I have grown closer to people who have encouraged me in so many ways. This walk was honestly exactly what I needed right now. Winter is always so crazy for me, with basketball and schoolwork I feel like I’m always struggling to find any time to myself. It still hasn’t sunk in yet that this will be my last year in high school, I mean my whole life has pretty much been routine so far because every year’s schedule has been pretty similar to the last. I chose to take my walk at a small park in downtown Kent that I used to LOVE to go to. I chose a really good day too because the pond was frozen over and there was still some snow on the ground so it was absolutely beautiful. It is funny because I remember that park seeming so much bigger when I was a kid, and now it seems so small. I never realize that my perception of everything around me is changing until a few years go by and I return to a place I haven’t been for a while. It is hard to put in words besides that it felt strange, but not necessarily in a bad way. I used to be so afraid of when it would be time to leave high school and head on to college, but as it grows closer and closer I feel ready. I feel like everything high school had in store for me was worth while and I got everything I could have out of it. Honestly, I’m really happy with how these four years have turned out, even with the ups and downs. The main thing that I got out of my walk is that I realized that I’m confident with where I am in life right now, and I’m ready for a new environment. I honestly can’t wait to see what college will be like and I hope that in everything I will always stay close to what I’ve accepted as my personal truth: my faith in Jesus Christ. I hope that my life will never get so hectic that I begin to lose time for the one thing that will bring me peace. I feel like over this last year I truly made my foundation for who I want to be, and now I’m ready to see where it takes me.