Wednesday, October 17, 2007

Reflective Response to Unit 3: Self w/Friends (due 10/19)

What key themes involving friendships and relationships are discussed in the reading for Unit 3: Self with Friends?

18 comments:

Meghan said...

In Unit 3 a reoccurring theme seems to be the implication that you cant pick your family, you can however, pick your friends and the friends you pick will have a major impact on your life. You often hear, “he or she is running with the wrong group of people”, or “he or she is such a good influence”. Rather negative or positive our friendships directly change the type of person we are rather we choose to see it in ourselves or not.
As we grow our families for a majority stay relatively the same. Our friendships on the other hand may come and go as often as the seasons change. It sounds so negative and wrong, but we would be naïve to think it wasn’t true.
Unit three looks into friendships at college, childhood friendships, and lost friendship, all of which we can relate to. I believe that in order to understand Unit 3 everyone will need to take a closer look into them selves, and ask the questions, “What does friendship mean to me? and “How do I choose my friends verses my enemies?” I believe unit three will touch many people because friendships are very complex and personal. They are also something we deal with every day especially now in college away from the unfamiliar, away from our childhood friends.

Sandy Rambow said...

Some of the key themes involving friendships and relationships that are discussed in Unit 3 are that friendships last for different amounts of time, sometimes for life and other times for only a short while, like in “Vinnie’s Jacket.” Another theme was that people usually have different types of friends that they may trust or talk about certain subjects with each one. The other theme that I found was that a friend is someone who notices the other person for who they are, not based on that person’s family or their social status or class. In, “A Simple Gift,” this was the case when he actually put on the socks for the poor man. Instead of just simply putting down the socks for him out of pity, he actually put on the socks for the man. This was something that the man was not used to because most people wouldn’t give a second look at his feet, but this man touched them. This showed the poor man that there are people who care and he was actually noticed as an individual by the other man.
Another point I noticed while reading was that a person’s idea of friendship can change as they get older. For example, in college we may make friends and the type of relationship that we have with them may be different than the ones we have/had with friends from earlier years.

Casey Miller said...

The major themes discussed in Unit 3: Self with Friends include forming friends, developing a relationship with them, and valuing that relationship. Some stories discussed in Unit 3 are about happy friendships and some are about disappointing friendships. I consider “Vinnie’s Jacket” written by Anna Nussbaum a happy friendship story. Anna adored her friend Vinnie and loved the relationship that they shared. When Vinnie died, Anna was sad with the loss of her best friend. Although, she managed to look back at what the friendship had taught her. I think the death of a friend would be extremely hard to cope with, but it would be easier if the person could look back at the positive things that were developed from that friend. Not all friendships have a happy ending. Some friendships turn sour and some friendships just end. After reading parts of Unit 3, I felt that I could relate to the major themes I believe to be part of the unit. I think about the friends I have formed, the relationships I have built with them, and to what extent I value the relationship. One friendship that I developed definitely had its difficulties. I try to think about how the relationship positively affected me and think of how I truly cherished it. I think that everyone has had at least one friendship where he or she has been able to learn something. People can learn positive things and negative things from a friend. Friendships are a part of life, and they can be used as a teaching tool.

DMitch said...

The key themes involving relationships and friendships discussed in Unit 3: Self with Friends are one can choose who their friends are, if they want to maintain this friendship, and the value they place on that friendship. Unlike family, one can choose their friends. For example, individuals often choose their friends according to interests and situations. A new situation brought on new friendships in the story “College Friends.” “College Friends” discusses a freshman’s drive to find friends after arriving at college. The main character struggles with the concept of having no one to talk to or eat with. Therefore, she attempts to find friends fast. In the accelerated process of friend making, she explains that many of her first friends will not be her friends for long because they will not be the type of person she often befriends. However, she wants to make friends so she can meet more people who could possibly become long term friends.
After making friends, the main character of “College Friends” discussed maintaining those friendships. At first she neglected her friends especially when she got a boyfriend. Her boyfriend became her lone friend during their relationship. When they broke up, she tried to go back to her best friend who was obviously mad at her. Her friend explained to her that she cannot start up a friendship every time one of her relationships failed because her friendship cannot be number two to the relationship. Her best friend told the main character that friendship is a completely different thing than a relationship. Since her friend told her that, the main character has done a better job of maintaining her relationships because she learned the value of friendship.
The value of friendship is a theme discussed in Unit 3. “The Difference Between Male and Female Friendships” is an essay that discusses exactly what the title states. The article states that a man’s friendship with another man is incompetent to a female’s friendship with another female because females typically have a deeper relationship with their friends. Nevertheless, men still get the satisfaction out of that friendship because they are getting what they want out of it. I found the essay extremely interesting and actually agree with it. The aspects discussed in the essay about a man’s friendship with another man are precisely how the majority of my friendships are. We bond by experiences and same interests, and do not talk about emotionally in depth information.

Jennifer Greselin said...

There are many key themes in Unit Three: Self with Friends. To start, you can choose who your friends are, but you can’t choose your family. When choosing friends, most people know what kind of qualities they are looking for in a friend. Sometimes they may be looking for someone who is like themselves, and sometimes they look for someone who is different from them. Sometimes friendships last for a long time, and sometimes things go wrong and friendships end. When you go off to college, you make many new friends, and sometimes these friendships can fizzle because you don’t really know people that well. New college students tend to be almost desperate for friends at first, like in Jennifer Crichton’s “College Friends.” The girl in this story does not want to do things such as eat by herself so she wants anyone to be her friend, and of course the friendship that she made likes this did not work out. Friends that you make in college however can be your best ones because you spend more time with them, and can get to know them better. Friends greatly influence your life because you spend so much time around them. They can have both positive and negative effects on people, because people are likely to do the same things as their friends do. Friends are important, and most people surround themselves with their friends all of the time. I think that everyone will be able to relate somehow to this unit, because friends are a big part of everyone’s lives.

thutton said...

In Unit Three (Self With Friends) they talk about how you cannot choose your family but you can choose your friends depending on the influences they are to you. It also says that friends are a huge influence on your life and they are everywhere. Your family relationships hardly change but your friendships change constantly depending on your life, for example my friendships have changed from going from high school to college, I have gained a lot of new friends but will probably lose a lot of old friends while going through the transition of grade school to college. The stories in this unit describe different friendships whether they be good or bad, they tell the truth of good and bad friendships.

Shealene Bretz said...

While reading some of the stories in Unit 3: Self with Friends, I found that all of the themes were based around the value of good friendships, picking the right group of people to consider your friends, and actually forming a specific relationship. I believe you have complete power of choosing who you want to be your friends and how you want that relationship to turn out. With family, you do not pick them, they are who they are and you work with that to build a relationship. With friends, you have the opportunity to make a relationship positive or negative. After reading “Vinnie’s Jacket”, I really understood the true meaning of their friendship. It showed that even though the good friend is no longer there, there is still that friendship that is remembered and cherished throughout their life. Even though her close friend died, she was able to look back at all the good times she shared and all the memories they had made. I believe this is a good characteristic of a person as well because instead of being negative in the situation, she looks in the positive way. After reading some of the stories, I was able to relate to some of the instances that took place. Everyone has their ups and downs in forming relationships, but I think that is a part of life that everyone has to deal with. From every relationship, either with family or friends, one learns something in the process. I think this allows the individual to learn more about themselves and others.

Trevor said...

The key themes in Unit 3 deal with friendship, loyalty, trust and love as well as some negative aspects of all of those as well. Some of them are about good friendships all the way through story while the short essay College Friends dealt with a girl having a hard time creating friendships but then ended up making a really good friend. Friendship is like a journey and you have to take the good with the bad.

Zara said...

The key themes involving friendships and relationships in Unit 3: Self with Friends has to deal with how you have your biological family, but how people can't live without friends. Sometimes it happens by certain circumstances or by choice but people often maintain friends throughout life. Although they come and go, very few people live without them. Friends tend to be people who you identify yourself with and enjoy being around. Some find friends that turn into more than a frienship heading toward a romantic relationship. But most important in the unit three is the value of friends.

J. Kennerly said...

The key themes involving friendships and relationships discussed in the reading for Unit 3: Self with Friends are as humans we are able to pick who want to be around and who we need to be around. We want to be around our friends that we can have fun with and just be ourselves. However, we need to be around friends who help succeed in what we are doing and who want us to do better for ourselves. If you have true friends they will be for you when you need that shoulder to cry on or if you need advise that you can't get from a family member. My favorite story from this unit was by Maya Angelou because her "friend" wanted her to come out of her shell and show the world who she was. Ms. Angelou's friend also knew she could do better and for her to come out of her shell all she needed was someone to help pull her out.

tscott said...

Unit 3 is about self with Friends, as well as creating new friendships/bonds, also ending relationships/bonds. The themes that are discussed are loyalty, trust, and love; as well as the negative aspects of friendships, such as hateration, jealousy, envious, peer pressure etc. These stories allow you to think about what friendship means to you and what your friends mean to you and whether or not your friendship is real and worth having. I particularly like the essay breaking away, because even though it has only been a few months and I only been home once, people that I believe are my friends already are envying me. I did not let it bother me that much because like in the essay I was pre-warned about those so-called friends who think, you think you are better than they are because you went to school. Then I question myself, am I better? Yes, I am because I decided to better myself and not stay stuck in Harrisburg. Then there are friends who do not have a choice but those are not the ones being my biggest hater.

Anonymous said...

We have the choice of who we spend our time around, and those people that we choose to be around the most we call friends. This unit in our book is all about these relationships and how they affect and help to shape our lives. These friendships are some of the most important things in our lives, we spend more time around our friends than anyone else mostly. So of course our friends are going to shape us more than anyone else or anything else.

Stacey T. said...

The key themes in Unit Three: Self with Friends deals with different types of friendships and what is needed in a relationship to make a friendship work. It deals with the loyalty between friends, the trust needed in a friendship to be able to open up to another person, and the effort that is needed to keep long lasting friendships. I think that there are different levels of friendship. There are acquaintances which are people usually friends of a friend, casual friends which are people you have seen around a couple times and maybe have hung out with here and there, close friends which are people you see and talk to almost on a daily basis, family friends which you have known for most of your life through other members in your family, and then there are best friends. A best friend is someone you can coincide with on almost everything. You can talk to them about anything and they are always there for you. In some cases friendships can blossom into a relationship that is on a different level. Good solid friendships are few and far between. It is important to value and cherish a friendship that has been around for a long time. I think that friendships take patience and dedication to work even though some friendships just don’t work out.

Chris Dennis said...

UNite Three involves certain aspects of friendships. Love, kindness are a few that come to mind when thinking of a frien. Though there are also some negative aspects of friendship. When you are betrayed or passed up for another friend. Being friends with someone is great, but you have to put alot of work into the relationship. Hanging out, sharing secrets things like that are key in a friendship

Candida said...

The key themes that were discussed in Unit: 3 were being able to pick who you are friends with and seeing how that relationship made them who they are today. You see that the friendships consisted of loyalty, learning, caring, and respect. In the story by Maya Angelou the girl just wanted attention and she got it through her friendship with the older lady. You can see that friendship can brighten or darken person’s emotions. You see how the relationships shaped and form the person that they are today.

jbyron said...

In reading unit three, I found that Interactions to a Thematic Reader discusses the importance of friends. They mention how you can choose friends through the influences they lead you through. Other than choosing friends though, you cannot choose your family and you heritage in which you grow up. This unit also reveals friendship stories in how they are lasting or a waste. Your relationships with your friends also change over time very much. Throughout High school, Middle school, and even College, friends come and go and change all the time. Your family on the other hand is something that stays with your forever and those relationships rarely change.

Sophia Lamont said...

While reading some of the stories in Unit 3: Self with Friends, I found that all of the themes were based around the value of good friendships, picking the right group of people to consider your friends, and actually forming a specific relationship. I believe you have complete power of choosing who you want to be your friends and how you want that relationship to turn out. With family, you do not pick them, they are who they are and you work with that to build a relationship. With friends, you have the opportunity to make a relationship positive or negative. After reading “Vinnie’s Jacket”, I really understood the true meaning of their friendship. It showed that even though the good friend is no longer there, there is still that friendship that is remembered and cherished throughout their life. Even though her close friend died, she was able to look back at all the good times she shared and all the memories they had made. I believe this is a good characteristic of a person as well because instead of being negative in the situation, she looks in the positive way. After reading some of the stories, I was able to relate to some of the instances that took place. Everyone has their ups and downs in forming relationships, but I think that is a part of life that everyone has to deal with. From every relationship, either with family or friends, one learns something in the process. I think this allows the individual to learn more about themselves and others.

MorganLFoster said...

Unit 3 is about defining ourselves based on our relationships with our friends and how that effected us. Whether good or bad they influence our actions and behavior every day of our lives.
Sometimes relationships with our friends can leave an enormous impact on our lives. However, thats not always the case. Sometimes friendships end up being a waisted time and effort, only causing stress and frustration.
Unlike family though you can choose who you want to have as a friend. This leaves room for you to adjust who you want to be around if you don't get along very well. With family, you are just stuck with them.
The stories in this unite are the usual heartwarming or breaking tales on a friendship that went good or on occasion bad and how it effected each of the writers personally.