All throughout our lives we are told to be true
to ourselves, that if we are we can become whoever we want to be. We’ve been
told from day one that anything is possible if we do this. Yet, this is not
entirely true.
We go through our education being taught certain ways to read, write, and even how to do math. And we all know that if we don’t do it the way the teachers have taught us on tests or homework assignments we don’t get credit for the work. This right here is a big example of how they offset what they originally tell us. How can we be who we want when we can’t even do math homework or analyze a paragraph in an essay the way we think we should? As long as the outcome is the same I don’t see the harm in not doing things “the teacher’s way.”
One of the biggest examples of this that I can think of is from my junior year high school English course. We were reading a lot of literature about African Americans and their struggles of slavery and civil rights and subsequently writing essays in response to them. I didn’t always agree with what was said in those essays yet I knew I could never write my true opinion in those essays because first off, I wouldn’t get the best of grades on the essays, and secondly and probably more importantly, it could have offended some people in the class. Just like Lu, I had a conflict between two points of views that I wanted to write but could only choose one of the “voices.”
So yes, we are told we have freedom to write and say what we want and to be true to ourselves. Yet, in this country, especially now a-days, we are having to be more and more careful with what we say and write because we might offend someone in the process. In order to resolve this struggle, sadly, this most of the times means we just don’t say what is really on our minds. Now I ask you, is that really freedom to be our true self?
We go through our education being taught certain ways to read, write, and even how to do math. And we all know that if we don’t do it the way the teachers have taught us on tests or homework assignments we don’t get credit for the work. This right here is a big example of how they offset what they originally tell us. How can we be who we want when we can’t even do math homework or analyze a paragraph in an essay the way we think we should? As long as the outcome is the same I don’t see the harm in not doing things “the teacher’s way.”
One of the biggest examples of this that I can think of is from my junior year high school English course. We were reading a lot of literature about African Americans and their struggles of slavery and civil rights and subsequently writing essays in response to them. I didn’t always agree with what was said in those essays yet I knew I could never write my true opinion in those essays because first off, I wouldn’t get the best of grades on the essays, and secondly and probably more importantly, it could have offended some people in the class. Just like Lu, I had a conflict between two points of views that I wanted to write but could only choose one of the “voices.”
So yes, we are told we have freedom to write and say what we want and to be true to ourselves. Yet, in this country, especially now a-days, we are having to be more and more careful with what we say and write because we might offend someone in the process. In order to resolve this struggle, sadly, this most of the times means we just don’t say what is really on our minds. Now I ask you, is that really freedom to be our true self?
Becoming what we want and writing what we are are a separate and similar topic. I like how you incorporate that we can never truly be ourselves or speak our own voices in writing, especially for a grade. Instead, we are suppose to appeal to our audience. I applaud those who are able to speak their own voice from the bottom of their heart without fearing persecution. But also, one needs to be smart in how they present their thoughts; not being blunt and racist, but honest and understanding.
ReplyDeleteI understand where you are coming from! Many times in my English class I had to make sure I was writing what the teacher wanted rather than what I wanted to say because I did not want to receive a bad grade. It is really ironic how they want you to express your thoughts but you can get penalized for expressing your thoughts if the teacher does not think it is right.
ReplyDelete