In class on Friday, we discussed a short story called Cathedral. At first, I was reading the short story and I was wondering why we were required to read it. I mean, it was this piece of writing that really had nothing to do with any of our previous readings. The content of the story surprised me. I was not expecting the husband to offer Robert, the blind man, marijuana. I was not expecting Robert to get along so well with the husband, who seemed to dislike the idea that his wife was sharing the intimate details of her life with a complete stranger. There were a lot of things I just wasn't expecting.
I think after reading through the short story, I was able to conclude that things aren't always the way they seem. Now, I know that sounds cliche, but in this case, it is especially true. I think what interested me the most about this story was the way Robert was able to do all of these things, despite all the negative things the husband thought and said about him. I thought it was incredible how Robert could tell the difference between a color television and a black and white television just by listening to what was playing on the screen. I also thought it was important to realize that Robert was able to prove the husband wrong in everything he had previously thought about the blind man without even being aware of it himself. Robert's physical appearance and abilities do things really showed the husband how wrong he was about Robert.
Not only is this story important in that it shows how prejudice towards something you know nothing about can prove you wrong, but it also shows the importance of emotion. The husband and wife in the story were struggling to keep a strong relationship. They had no emotional connection or even effective communitcation. But the blind man allowed the wife to feel open emotionally again and have a connection with someone. The close friendship the wife and Robert had made the husband feel uncomfortable, and probably jealous, since he knew he never made his wife feel happy the way Robert did. I think the importance of a strong friendship is vital to this story, and also to real life. Many people can draw parallels to this short story, whether they be in the failing relationship between the husband and wife, or the blossoming one between the wife and Robert. This is what makes this story so relatable. Even though this story is a work of fiction, the author creates this piece of that contains events many people face in real life.
So maybe this short story wasn't such a random choice afterall.
February 26, 2011
February 6, 2011
Metacognition: MUNUC
Over the weekend, several people from the Academy as well as myself spent the weekend at the Model United Nations of the University of Chicago, or MUNUC for short. I was to represent the nation of Madagascar in the World Conference on Women delegation. The two topics for possible discussion were A: Maternal Health, or B: Sex Work. I spent a few days before the conference doing research on both topics, gathering information about Madagascar's viewpoint on both maternal health and sex work. It was a long and tedious process, but I was able to find Madagascar's stand on both issues.
When walking into the morning (and evening) conferences, I had a pretty good idea of what I was going to say to the rest of the 350 or so delegates, who represented a grand total of 153 different nations from around the world. I never thought that in 8 hours of intense, and often hectic discussion that I would hear so many different ideas and proposals. I honestly had no clue what I was in for when I walked into this conference, but let me tell you, it was pretty awesome. I sat and listened to hundreds of delegates speak about the pressing issues that plagued women in societies all over the world. At first, I thought it was going to be an every-man-for-himself kind of ordeal, but listening to nations build off of one another's ideas made me see that this conference was all about working together. It would be a major understatement if I told you that coming up with a solution for improving maternal health was easy. We argued and debated for four days over viable and affordable options for each individual country's needs.
I discovered that my thinking process changes dramatically when I am in different situations. During this conference, I was able to see my thought process evolve from a nation's individual and basic ideas to writing resolutions and amendments that could improve our entire world. I could have never done that on my own or without the opportunity to experience a Model United Nations conference.
It is important to realize that you can never achieve something so big all by yourself. It took 350 delegates from 153 different nations working 8 hours a day for 4 days to come up with a single resolution. I came to this conference with only a 3 page packet of information on Madagascar's stand on maternal health, but I left with a brain overflowing with amazing ideas and a brand new perspective of the world.
When walking into the morning (and evening) conferences, I had a pretty good idea of what I was going to say to the rest of the 350 or so delegates, who represented a grand total of 153 different nations from around the world. I never thought that in 8 hours of intense, and often hectic discussion that I would hear so many different ideas and proposals. I honestly had no clue what I was in for when I walked into this conference, but let me tell you, it was pretty awesome. I sat and listened to hundreds of delegates speak about the pressing issues that plagued women in societies all over the world. At first, I thought it was going to be an every-man-for-himself kind of ordeal, but listening to nations build off of one another's ideas made me see that this conference was all about working together. It would be a major understatement if I told you that coming up with a solution for improving maternal health was easy. We argued and debated for four days over viable and affordable options for each individual country's needs.
I discovered that my thinking process changes dramatically when I am in different situations. During this conference, I was able to see my thought process evolve from a nation's individual and basic ideas to writing resolutions and amendments that could improve our entire world. I could have never done that on my own or without the opportunity to experience a Model United Nations conference.
It is important to realize that you can never achieve something so big all by yourself. It took 350 delegates from 153 different nations working 8 hours a day for 4 days to come up with a single resolution. I came to this conference with only a 3 page packet of information on Madagascar's stand on maternal health, but I left with a brain overflowing with amazing ideas and a brand new perspective of the world.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)