Reflection to Paul Theroux's "Being a man"

Benjamin Nguyen                                                                                                                  Ms. Moccia

12/18/16                                                                                                                               AP Language

                                           Reflection to Paul Theroux's "Being a man"

     Paul Theroux's "Being a man" resonated with me on some points, feeling as if it were detailing an autobiography about my life. Theroux covers many "manly" stereotypes, many of which I conform to. I typically do enjoy sports, tend to be more aggressive as a male e.g by participating in sports such as Jiu-Jitsu and Taekwondo my whole life and tend to be less emotional. However, I asked myself, is this really such a bad thing? I looked back at my upbringing as a child, and whenever I would cry over a loss in match or cry over pain I felt during training, my mother would always tell me, "Ben, stop crying. Only girls cry. You're a man. Go to the bathroom and wash your face." Memories like these always stuck with me. I look back on it now and I have to say, I thank my mom for doing this as a child. My mother exposed me to the reality that the world isn't sunshine and rainbows, and that sometimes you have to show that you are strong and resilient. Of course there are situations when crying is applicable, such as a death in the family or tears of happiness, but when I look in the media today and see those who cry over an election or even a broken pinky, it seems so trivial to me. My father had also over time injected me with my quick wit and cleverness that has come to be known as a stereotype for being a charming man. Whether it be helping me getting out of a ticket, hold down a conversation, a job interview, easing tension in the room or even talking to girls, this quick wit has helped me so many times. So I say it, that these stereotypes of being a "man", I don't mind conforming too, however, there are some distinctions in the political course that a man loses out to then compared to a women, which is entire different discussion in of itself.

Reflection to "What does it mean to own something?" prompt

Benjamin Nguyen                                                                                                           Ms. Moccia

12/3/16                                                                                                                            Ap Language

                                              What does it mean to own something?
 
     When I had originally seen the prompt of "what it meant to own something?", it had truly got me thinking and wondering what it mean to truly own something and it's reflection on one's self identity. I thought about how my entire life has been in the pursuit of "ownership", whether it be money, possessions, or even the ownership of another person's love or admiration. I asked myself, does this make me a bad person? Have I been clouded by my own selfish desires? Or have I been working hard for others so that I can share in my success? I felt very conflicted when I saw this prompt, because for the first time in a while, I haven't taken a solid stance in a topic for a while. I look forward to writing this argument essay in the future and to see how I further develop my position.