Meeting #6

Today my meeting with Rayan and Hanah was short, but I still learned a lot! The conversation started off very casual and they told me that they are excited for the new hot weather but unfortunately they still have school throughout the summer.

I asked them if they had ever heard of Juha, and they laughed and said of course they had! They were surprised that we had read the book of many tales of Juha in our Lit and Civ class. Rayan told me that his favorite story was one that demonstrated Juha's wit and cleverness that involved a restaurant owner, a merchant, and money for a chicken that the merchant ordered and vowed to pay for when he returned from his journey. When the merchant showed up, the restaurant owner told him that he owed him 200 dirhams (an absurd amount). The man thought this was ridiculous and took the case to court. It took Juha's wit for the judge to rule in favor of the merchant. They were even more surprised when I told them that I recognized this story from our class readings.

When I inquired on the importance of those stories in their culture, Rayan told me that they may be short, but they always teach you a lesson. They said that usually the stories get told to children even though some of the tales are more directed towards adults. Their culture has many synonymous characters...such as Aladdin and Ali Ababwa, and there are animated TV shows for kids to watch depicting these characters and their tales. 

I thought it was neat to see Juha's significance in the lives and culture of people that I knew personally. I loved that I made a connection to my readings in Lit and Civ to real life!! 

Final Reading Reflection-Mark Twain

I throughly enjoyed reading The Wit and Wisdom of Mark Twain. My only exposure to Mark Twain was during my junior year of high school in my English class when we read The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, and to be honest I didn't think it was very enjoyable. However, I feel like I would appreciate the novel more now, and I would really enjoy to read more of Mark Twain's works. Based on these quotes compiled by Alex Ayres, Mark Twain was quite a character. 

When I began reading this book I was expecting all of the quotes to be laugh out loud funny, so it surprised me how serious and wise Mark Twain was regarding many issues. The book was filled with many funny quotes too, and I did crack up a couple of times at his quick wit. In his Compliments section (pg 45), I loved the section that said...
     "There is nothing you can say in answer to a compliment," said a blushing Mark Twain 
     after a complimentary introduction to a crowd in Jamestown, Virginia. "I have been 
     complimented myself a great many times, and they always embarrass me-I always feel
     they have not said enough."
The cognitive shift, dare I say it, made me chuckle because personally I was expecting Mark Twain to respond with "they always embarrass me-I always feel they have said too much." However Twain throws his complementer and the crowd for a loop when he responds in such a manner, and I'm sure they responded with laughter. 

I also laughed during the Bicycling section of the book (pg 24-25) at Mark Twain's claim that "he invented all the new bicycle profanity that has since come into general use." Even though he was 49 years old, he still pushed himself to learn new things (in this case, how to ride a bike), even though his instructor "regarded him as a hopeless case." In his essay "Taming the Bicycle," Mark Twain said, "Get a bicycle. You will not regret it. If you live." Picturing a middle-aged Twain falling off of his bicycle humored me.

In particular, the Bravery, Cheer, Children, Heart, and Joy sections made me appreciate Mark Twain for his wisdom. He had many great things to say about these particular topics. 

Being a quote person, this has been one of my favorite reading assignments this semester, and I definitely think that future students should be exposed to Mark Twain's wit and wisdom!

The Wit and Wisdom of Mark Twain Quote

GROWTH-"What is the most rigorous law of our being? Growth. No smallest atom of our moral, mental, or physical structure can stand still a year. It grows-it must grow; nothing can prevent it." (pg 92)

Wow! Reading this quote caused me to take a step back and really think about what my life was like a year ago. Everything was so different! I was a freshman questioning my college choice, making friends in Milton Daniel, forming my own opinions on various issues, trying not to gain the freshman 15, and attempting to figure out what I wanted to do with my life.

Now I feel like I'm at a place where I'm really meant to be. I love my school and have made some of the best friends that I couldn't for a second imagine my life without. My opinions have been shaped and molded by all the new people I have met, books I have read, and once foreign concepts that I have now been exposed to. 

Sometimes change can be a foreign, scary concept, but that is how we are able to really become the best individual we can be. All things, good or bad, will shape us into the person we are intended to be! 

I think that this quote from Mark Twain's "Consistency" speech was used to encourage people to grow as individuals and as a society. It really made quite an impression on me and easily earned its place as my favorite quote of Mark Twain!

Meeting #5

Even though I hadn't met with Rayan and Hanah in what seemed like forever, the conversation flowed and I learned even more about their native country of Saudi Arabia.

After I told Rayan and Hanah about LEAPS at TCU, we began to discuss the homeless population in Fort Worth and in their city back home.

In Saudi Arabia, or in their city at least, "soup kitchens" do not exist. The homeless can acquire food in 3 different ways. They can go to restaurants and tell the owner that they do not have enough money to buy food, and the owner will give it to them for free. Also at local markets, there are signs offering free food that people can walk up and eat. Another way of acquiring food is through direct donations of others in the city.

Rayan and Hanah send money to Hanah's mother every month, and she uses that money to purchase food and that goes directly to families in need. However there is not one general place that people go to get served food.

I asked Rayan and Hanah if there was a problem with lying and saying that you had no money for food when actually you didn't want to spend money. They said in general no, if you're going to ask for food then you really need food. Those without money won't lie and claim that they don't have any just to get some extra change. Also, the restaurants and supermarkets have cameras, so they can see if people continue to come back. Hanah told me about some children that sit outside of the restaurants asking for food, and once they are given some they scarf it right down. They are kids that really don't have another source of nourishment.

Rayan said it is common for people to walk up behind you in line at a supermarket or restaurant and ask for you to pay for them. He said he always does, and then he brushed it off like it was something that was expected of him. I think this is truly the social norm in the city. There is no questioning of whether the hungry and homeless will be helped or not. An effort is always made by other people of the city. 

They told me that the wealthy people in their city build giant apartment complexes for the homeless in the city. They said an individual building could probably hold between 300-400 people. This is because the families normally share rooms and multiple people live in a single space. 

I learned a lot in our meeting, and it's hard to believe that we only have 2 more meetings before summer break!

Only Joking 61-100

I really enjoyed reading this passage from the book Only Joking. Although it was similar in content to Morreall's Comic Relief, it was much more successful, engaging, and funny in its analyzation of humor.

I found many concepts in the passage quite interesting, and the assigned section for today dealt with various theories of humor. When discussing the incongruity theory, I loved how the author said, "Laughter is essentially a wobble of uncertainty" (88).

When you actually sit and think about it, this concept is totally true especially regarding the incongruity theory. We laugh awkwardly when someone catches us by surprise or when we're stuck in a situation that makes us feel uncomfortable. We laugh if we are unsure of what we're about to say or if silence makes us nervous because we don't know what the next moments will hold. We laugh when a joke isn't what we expected.

The incongruity theory deals with ambivalence, which can be defined as "simultaneous and contradictory attitudes or feelings toward an object, person, or thing." Our uncertainty towards a situation causes us to laugh, and all of us can relate in one way or another to being caught off guard. This is why the incongruity theory is such a popular and widely accepted theory of humor. 

Describing laughter a "wobble of uncertainty" makes me think of a spinning top as it teeters between staying upright and toppling down. For me, this wobble usually occurs right at the moment where I'm deciding whether it would be more awkward to laugh in a particular situation or more awkward to stay silent. 

Souvenirs Extra Credit: Elle, Thomas, and Ashlyn

Billy Pilgrim, like many others, looked for meaning and security in a cross. We thought that this cross offered even more meaning and hope for its owners. Not only could they look to the cross for its innate symbolism and association with Christian values but also to the miscellaneous quotes on faith. People often use faith for hope in times of tribulation. Quotes like “If you have faith nothing shall be impossible for you” comfort its readers. I think that somebody who has this cross hanging on their wall probably feels like they literally have faith in their possession, making this quote especially comforting and definitely making it possible to make sense out of life through aggregating meaningful gift shop trinkets.

For those who believe in karma, spiritual powers, or good luck charms certain objects or talismans can have a profound effect on that person. While Billy Pilgrim had a cross hanging on his wall, many people often hang their good luck charms on the rearview mirrors of their cars to provide a sense of protection or a reminder of something significant. While in the small Texas town of Spring Branch we found a collection of YooDara dolls which each have a different name and power. We thought that Owen, who “gives you power to overcome life’s aches and pains,” had a very universal power that could be of much use to someone going through a rough patch in life.

Anyone who needs a little spice in their life can find exactly what they're looking for with Louisiana tabasco, made in Avery Island, LA, and found in many grocery stores, restaurants, and souvenir shops throughout the state.Tabasco is a common souvenir for people traveling to Louisiana because once you taste it, you'll never want to return to your bland food again! Besides being the "final touch" to many dishes, it can also serve as a friendly reminder to be spontaneous. As creatures of habit, we shouldn't be afraid to spice things up a little bit every once in a while! 

Creepin'

Over Easter holiday, we were asked to do some eavesdropping/creeping/observing on people's laughter in conversation. Reuniting with my sisters, family, and friends was indeed cause for a lot of laughter, and I observed many instances of laughter that arose from different situations during my time at home.

After being picked up from the airport by my friend, he told me that he had bought some candy for me, Sprees and Sweet-Tarts (nom!). He started to chuckle at my reaction as I realized that one of the bags of candy had already been opened and was halfway gone. (I thought it was my welcome home present?!) Then he confessed that he had forgotten what Sprees tasted like, so he had to have a few. We both burst into laughter, and when I later told my family they laughed too.

On my first night back, my sisters were telling tons of stories about their classes, teachers, and friends. Before they even began their stories they would laugh just thinking about what they were about to say. Or Lauren would begin with, "Hey Lindsey, do you remember when this or that happened?" and they would both crack up before letting me in on the story. During one of Lauren's impersonations, we all laughed because she did such a perfect impersonation of a girl who goes to our high school. This laughter was a result of both shared knowledge of the situations and people involved and also in the common type of humor that my sisters and I share.

The whole time that we sat at our kitchen table sharing our funny stories, my parents were there, laughing with/at us as my sisters and I laughed with/at each other. We were all a source of entertainment and laughter for each other!