Ivan Ng, Period, 7 3/21/22

 Literacy & Learning

Socio-political Consciousness

What are your thoughts and feelings about issues of inequity, oppression, and/or power?

Our most recent topic of vampirism and the hierarchy of monsters sparked many thoughts in my opinion about the topic of oppression and power. In our lesson, we learned that one theory made was that vampires represent the nobles, who are in complete control of their powers and oppress/control others for their benefit. The werewolves fall into the middle class because they have powers but have moments where they lack self-control. Finally, zombies represent the working class because they are brainless (quite literally) and lack consciousness. The expression of these ideas makes me feel as if the problem of inequality between social classes is much more prevalent than I realize. Thinking back on my classes in world history and American history, most of history’s most important turning points were based on fighting against oppression. There's the American Revolution and the Civil Rights movement etc. The point being is that I believe oppression has been a serious issue throughout history because it is a recurring theme in literary works such as 1984, To Kill A Mockingbird, and as we learned possible monster stories. 

How do you reflect critically on your own beliefs, assumptions, values, and experiences, and how these can influence your perception of self and others?

I reflect on my own beliefs, values, and experiences by comparing them with opposing, likewise, or similar ideologies. Most of this reflection occurs during conversations or reading that require me to think deeply about my beliefs and values. It makes me explore depths in my beliefs and review every nook and cranny of my argument to weed out fallacies in my values. Due to these experiences, I perceive myself as ever-growing because every time my values and arguments are tested, they only become more iron clad afterward