"The norm": An response to Sarah's essay

After reading Sarah’s essay, I thought of a staircase. She talks about the norm, and how people are supposed to follow it but then there are also people who stray away instead of conforming. I think with this master staircase it is obvious that at the beginning there is only one "right" path to take, which is equal to the norms one is supposed to follow, growing up, going to college etc. There are people who stray from that, but does that mean they fall off of the staircase? Then at the end, after college, people start to be accepted when they stray from the norm and with this staircase there are multiple ways you can go after you get to the top. Well written and interesting story!

"The Middle": a response to Justin's essay

I feel I can relate to Justin's essay. I am also the middle child and know the title of "the middle child" comes with many assumptions of how we should be: clouded by both our older and younger siblings, and washed away in the crowd. We then are the rebels who are in search of attention. But I agree that this known definition of a middle child does not apply to me. I chose this song, half because it is called "The Middle" and half because I felt the lyrics could apply to Justin's essay. In the first section, it says, "It's only in your head you feel left out, or looked down on." Middle child syndrome is something that is in your head and you can either stick to the definition of a middle child or break free of it. I think it would be cool to possibly relate all of your topics together and add more visual language!

"Priorities": A response to Carlie's essay

Carlie’s article was about straightening out priorities, but I also believe it was about finding your true identity. When she was younger, she allowed others ideas to cloud her own. She would rather follow the trend than go after what she really loved. I chose this song to represent Carlie’s collage because it talks about losing yourself. At a young age, before you have priorities straight you follow those around you, “Washing what you know out to sea, you can see your life out the window.” It is as if the things you want and belief are washing away. But with time, you find yourself and are comfortable being who you are. I thought this was a very interesting paper. I would like to see it come more full circle, maybe tying in school supplies at some point in the end. Also, I think if you are trying to show priorities in each section, a few were unclear. Overall, good job! 

"Change": A Response to Victoria's essay

I chose the song “secrets” by One Republic to represent Victoria’s essay. The chorus of this song starts out by saying “Tell me what you want to hear,” which reminded me of Victoria because she was scared to leave her comfort zone, she was scared to be different. She didn’t want to be judged and therefore held back. Then it goes on to say, “Sick of all the insincere so I’m gonna give all my secrets away. This time don’t need another perfect line, don’t care if critics ever jump in line, I’m gonna give all my secrets away.” This part symbolizes Victoria throwing away her insecurities, giving her secrets away, and finally being who she wants to be and doing what she wants to do. 

"Night vs. Day": A response to Lauren's essay

I chose this song called “Night/Day” by Mae. It discusses how he misses out by sleeping in, and how he will no longer sleep the day. I really like Lauren’s experiment and actually would love to try it! In this song it says, “’Cause I’ve convinced myself that my best can only come in the moonlight, and I keep sleeping in, and missing something.” I understand the point about having the same amount of hours to get work done, it is just different times of the day. I am really curious which you enjoyed better, which was more productive, which you see yourself continuing to do. Overall, well written!

"Who do I want to be?": A response to Alex's essay

I chose this picture of Switzerland to represent Alex’s story. His values and his character have been altered based on where he was raised. But at some point, most people question themselves and why they do the things they do. Why be polite? Is it benefiting me in any way? I thought this was an interesting experiment because no one knew he was conducting it. I think it would be good if Alex added some more of his inner thoughts. There are definitely parts where he incorporates it, but I want to hear more. I also really liked the quote, “treat everyone as a gentleman not because they are, but because you are.” 

"Mulling it Over": A response to Steven's essay

I feel as though this picture can represent Steven’s story. Through his experiment, he comes to find that appearance does play a role in how people treat one another. By having a mullet, he changed his identity, similar to how one would in a play, knowing it was not a permanent change. There may have been times where he got lost in his character though, and allowed himself to be hurt by how others were treating him. I think it would benefit the essay if Steven incorporated dialogue or deeper descriptions of people’s reactions to his hair and then also deeper descriptions of how it made him feel. How did it feel to be treated differently by his lifelong friends? How did he feel about himself while sporting the mullet?