My Progress Thus Far
Cristina Platter
April 19, 2006
Spring 2006
Professor Bump
E 320 M
LR Midterm: My Progress Thus Far
I
can begin by discussing our first class picture together at the tree of life.
Looking back on it now, I remember how I was feeling that day as we walked to a
part of campus I never even knew existed. This picture followed our walk
through the Story of Texas Museum, with the topic of “Where do you belong? What
are you? What are you in relation to nature?” These questions are not something
that typically crosses your mind; rather, they put things into perspective, and
move you to a deeper thought process, as you search to find the answer. So what
exactly is my pilgrimage? I think that my pilgrimage begins primarily with my
education. This education will set me free from ignorance (deletion of comma)
and lay down the foundation for me to achieve my goals. Exposure to new places,
leaving both a past and future legacy, along with my own symbols and fears, are
the truths that will set me free.
Changing
surroundings along with fresh encounters will help to set me free from what I
believe are my truths and widen my perspective on distinct cultures and places.
I hope my pilgrimage of life will (deletion of “hopefully”) lead me to new places
(deletion of “and”) where I can experience different things. These experiences (deletion of “which”) will eventually
(deletion of comma) change the ideas and goals that I hold true now as I move
through the different stages of life. Being a student at such a large campus, it
is important to recognize that “larger universities must find ways to create a
sense of place…”[1] This
quote is symbolic of our picture at the tree of life. Here, as a class, we are a
unit, and in nature we can go back to our origins of purity and can reconnect
with ourselves and with each other. We are riding into the future with the
sculpture of “The Mustangs,” moving together with similar aspirations through
our course in English. At the Lif
e Sciences library, these words touch me as I
am moving through different stages of life, “If a man does not make new
acquaintance, as he advances through life, he will soon find himself left
alone. A man, sir, should keep his friendship in constant repair.”[2] (deletion
of ambiguity)
Learning to no longer work individually but to connect with others will also set me free as I aspire to be a leader. I find that I am able to better understand myself though my friendships that I have maintained over the years as well as new acquaintances that share similar goals. Samuel (identifying) Johnson, an eighteenth century English writer, stresses the importance of making new acquaintances while also maintaining past relationships. Coming together as a group rather than as individuals adds to a stronger sense of belonging. I think that creating my ideal sense of place is derived from my surroundings (i.e. architecture) (deletion of “and design), my friends and family, and through my personal experiences and beliefs. This pilgrimage of life has presented us with an abundance of options and paths to take to wherever it is that am headed. I believe that I am my director through this journey of life, with the personal choices I make and how I cope (spelling correction) with what it places in my path.
A
symbolic legacy of my past is what describes me as a unique individual and will
set me free from leading non-distinctive life. Upon visiting the gothic style
churches in and around campus, the most prominent feature (deleted the
redundant portion “that has caught my attention”) was the large stained glass
windows, coupled with the smaller versions around the east and west wings of
the church. These stained glass pieces tell a story; some illustrate specific
biblical stories, while others are dedicated to a specific saint. What would be
in my stain glass window? The window of Saint John the Evangelist (deleted
parenthesis) located in the All Saints Chapel contains within its four corners
“(deletion) a cross with pendant and the letters Alpha and Omega; the
triquetra, which consists of the Trinity combined with the circle of Eternity
and a cross and crown, the reward of Eternal Life…”[3]
These powerful symbols are unique to Saint John. Through these images,
My future symbolic legacy will set me free through my education, which will allow me to obtain a good job with the necessary skills and knowledge to succeed in the work place. I hope to make a lasting impression ranging from the people that I come in contact with, to the accomplishments I made during my life. Anyone can get a degree from college and decent job, and live the remainder of their life working for a stable company. Why not get your Masters, graduate with honors, and be bombarded with job opportunities at every door? This legacy allows for me to distinguish myself from “the average Joe” by doing something with my life that is above the ordinary. I hope that my legacy will be that of a hard-working woman, who strived to achieve and accomplish as well as a being good friend, sister, daughter, and granddaughter.
Setting
myself free from the stresses of daily activities will help me to learn to
release and let go of control. Upon visiting Waller Creek and the Taniguchi
garden, I was asked to practice meditating in nature. I am pictured here, in
the midst (spelling changed) of my day, trying to find myself in nature, by
freeing my mind of all other worldly 
thoughts and stresses, and material
possessions. “But we must be quiet to do so, quiet to hear. Yet the first thing we notice when we try is
that we’re not quiet at all.”[4] This
quote I found related closely to my experience. As I lay there, questions and thoughts
ranging from what I had to do that day, to the time crossed my mind. With all
of these thoughts, I find that my 
mind is not quiet at all. (removed previous
question) When is it necessary to disconnect from the busy and demanding life I
lead and let nature envelop me? It is hard for me to replace my everyday
activities with the solitude and serenity of nature because it deviates from
the day-to-day bustle that I am accustomed to. “Meditation may be
frustrating…But by penetrating and observing it, we can free ourselves from
being 
carried away by our thoughts.”[5] Through practicing meditation, I hope to
learn how to control my mind and allow myself this disconnection.
The flowing waters at the Taniguchi garden, the feeling of life, and the landscaping make it seem so simple to be a part of nature. I hope to learn to take that step back from life and find myself within nature as unconcerned, liberated, and free.
Learning how to accentuate my strengths and down play my weaknesses through my personality type will set me free to effectively communicate with others. Through the Myer-Briggs Personality Test, I can relate (deletion) closely to my particular personality and different learning styles. I was so surprised by the accuracy that it provides, and how a series of questions classifies me into a particular category. With this insight and detailed explanation, I can better effectively understand my strengths and weaknesses in my learning style and writing process. With my personal goals in mind for this section of English, I hope that I will be better able to convey my thoughts and ideas through the writing process (deletion). Learning through constructive criticism, I think that I will be able to get the hang of making concise strong points that will in turn make me an effective leader in the work place.
I began in this picture, nervously presenting my road map to a class of strangers. I hope to be set free by taking continuing the ability to presenting information to a group. Today, for my midterm, I have journeyed far from this point as a student and writer in my understanding of writing styles for my personality. Creating my own sense of space, finding the symbols of my stained glass, making a lasting legacy, connecting with nature, and my role as a leader; these are my truths and goals of this semester. These questions are part of coming to a deeper understanding of who I am as a person and where it is that I want to be later on in life.
(added
information) As commencement at the undergraduate level creeps upon me, I find
myself questioning the blank path before me and hoping that the new truths that
I come to understand along the way, will set me free. My personality type
pushes me to find comfort in conformity. In high school, I took the same route
every morning because I knew that I would get there on time. Yet, I got very
bored with this same routine. More and more, I am finding myself doing the same
activities, taking the same paths, and performing the same routines. I want so
much to be a risk-taker. Sometimes I even get bored with myself. I like
planning and being prepared for everything. Under the section labeled
“Teaching/Learning Styles” under the category of judging, it says “Prefer a plan… schedule is important…don’t like
surprises…”[6] Not
knowing what my future path after college has in store for 
me is frightening. I want to know where I
will be in the next few years and have plenty of time to think out all of my
options. How is it that I can prepare for something when it can only be figured
out through small steps and not leaps? I
hope that in my future growth as a person, I will become less uptight and
controlling; I will learn to love and embrace the unknown and let that be one
of the thrills of living my life. Writing this midterm and relating it back to
my connection with nature inspires my hope that it will help me in reaching
these personal goals. This picture of me
opening this tiny door (as was named “The Alice in Wonderland door”) in the
garden of the University’s President is symbolic of my new path of curiosity of
the unknown and my quest for knowledge and fresh experiences that help me to
gain a variety of perspectives and become a well-rounded person.
word count: 1,320-125 (quotations) =1,195
new word count: 1,195 + 551 (additional words) – 9 (quotation) = 1,737