I was very impressed by all of the projects presented. They all had a positive impact on myself and helped me see new meaning in all of the texts we have read in class. If I were to pick one presentation that impacted me the most, I would have to choose the third presentation on Frankenstein. The presentation focused on being either socially acceptable or a socially unacceptable. The personal accounts of being unacceptable socially in some way or another were very powerful. When reading the works of Shelley it is easy to get caught up in the characters, but very seldom do I relate it to my life. After the presentation, many new doors were opened and I could really see how these texts related to everyone's life.

I always find myself feeling jealous of those who I think have life "perfect", but now I will step back and try to understand that no one's life is perfect. We try all of our lives to be accepted by our friends; family and society as a whole, but we all feel like an outcast at some point in our lives. Whether it be because of a scar on our face or our weight we all have the same pit in our stomach when we feel like we don't exactly fit in. There have been too many times for me to count when I have found myself feeling unaccepted by my friends and society as a whole. The poster used in the presentation was an excellent representation of what society accepts: the tall, skinny blond with perfect skin and a perfect body. I think as we grow older and become more experienced we see that we all can't fit this description and we slowly accept who we are and what we look like, but there is always that dream in the back of your head of looking like this "Barbie" like woman.

elemkey

Of the groups that presented themselves last week, my life would mostly relate to group three and the fears of the social norm. All my life I have never been the popular one. I was always the shy girl that nobody knew, except for my friends. My friends weren't exactly the truest of friends either. They constantly made fun of me and put me down, which was okay for a long time because I could always joke about myself. But as I grew older, I was beginning to believe what they were saying was true, it had to be because no one told me otherwise. No one ever told me I was pretty, or talented, or smart. I was just average. My senior year is when this effected me. Everyone had made fun of my legs, my toes, and my big arm muscles from working on a horse ranch, and that I was dumb for so long that I began to believe them and hide them by only wearing jeans, t-shirts, and tennis shoes, and by becoming more quiet. I began worrying if I would have the true friends that I had always wanted when I went to Cal Poly, or if anyone would want to be my friend at all. I began to become very depressed. I would go to school, work, come home and take a nap. The only thing I could control were my eating habits and I thought that if I was really the rest of my body wouldn't be that noticeable. I didn't eat breakfast, only had salads for lunch with a glass of water if I ate at all. For dinner I would only eat a little bit but enough so that my mom wouldn't question my eating habits. Soon a couple friends at home noticed and told me I was really skinny, but it didn't make me feel better. I decided that solution didn't help my problem, and that I should began to eat more sensibly again. I was thinner than before but I still didn't fit in.

Leaving for college, I was on my own. None of my friends were going away, none of them to share the college experience with. I told them good-bye and tried to make a new start for myself. My roommate was really nice and we got along great although we are very different, but being involved in my freshmen year helped me a lot. I participated in WOW week were I met my best friend and my roommate for two years. Our group of friends is very different then my friends at home, we help each other out with problems, listen, and care about each other and our feelings. Although I have only known them for a couple years, I feel like I have known them all of my life, and have put my past behind me. I hope that everyone can have a chance to find the true friends like the one's that I have found at Poly.

jyoudall

The presentation I could relate to was the four girls who talked about society not accepting beauty. I can relate with the girl who gained weight. There is a serious weight problem in my family and I've always been scared to gain weight. When I got to college I was 120 lbs. and gained about 30-35 lbs. It has been hard to deal with because people don't treat you the same. It's like you're some sort of out cast. It seems like it is really bad at this school. Everyone here is so body conscious and it drives me nuts. Part of me wants to say oh well and another part wants to work really hard to lose weight. It's a really hard thing to deal with, but it shouldn't be. Our society has made us all feel this way and it's ridiculous. I can also relate to the girl with the scar. My younger sister has a very large birth mark on her leg. It doesn't look bad, but it's big (about the size of your hand) and a darker pigmentation. She refuses to wear shorts because she is so embarrassed. I think it's terrible that she has to be embarrassed of something natural like a birth mark. Of course these feelings of embarrassment also started after cruel kids teased her about it. It seems like people pick at everyone's imperfections to make themselves feel better. Now we have a society where nobody feels great about themselves and there is always someone there to tell you what looks wrong.

I want to thank you guys for sharing such personal situations with us. It's a hard thing to deal with, and better yet talk about in front of a bunch of strangers. Good luck to you in the future.

Jennifer Padelford

The presentations on Tuesday were full of thought and different interpretations. It was quite interesting to see how many ideas come from reading the same book or poem. The presentation I would like to focus on was that of Frankenstein and Werther(2). The group of females all focused on a time in their life when they felt looked down upon, "different". For women in this society, that is an issue faced daily unless you learn to accept your differences and build you self-esteem.

The organization of the presentation was impressive. Having each person discuss a time when they felt different and "looked at" had me engaged in what they were saying. Each woman took confidence and strength to discuss their own difference. The differences varying from having a scar on a forehead, a child of divorce with an unpleasing stepmom, a weight/diabetic issue, or an eating disorder. The collage of women who are deemed beautiful contrasting to those who have flaws and the fix-its to help tied the entire presentation together. I am impressed by the courage the ladies had and applaud them for their strength in sharing and trying to discuss the issues. Doing so will automatically help other students feel secure in their "reasons for being them", not look at differences negatively!

Erin Kreitz

I really enjoyed the creativity and artistic talent shown by each group. I felt all groups did a very good job in presenting the material in a new and interesting manner. A wide variety of tools were used to convey each group's message. Whether it was relating the authors' works to a popular movie, making their own movie, or giving personal life examples of what is socially accepted versus not socially accepted, they all proved to be very informational.

The third group to present their material on the subject of what is socially acceptable versus what is not socially acceptable was able to make the biggest impression on me. I believe this is because their presentation was very personal and heartfelt. I could hear the emotion in their voices and see it in their expressions. What they said came from their heart. It takes a lot of courage to open up and talk about something like that in front of over 50 students.

The first to speak in the group talked about the social norms of beauty in society. She has had her own personal struggle in this area as she has a large scar on her forehead since she was little. Like her, my girlfriend received a large scar on her face when she was very young. She has gone through life self conscious of it and questioning it as being hurtful to her visual attractiveness. I don't believe my girlfriend's scar (nor the speaker's scar) takes anything away from their attractiveness. If you are a beautiful person on the inside then this beauty will radiate on the outside. I do not notice my girlfriends scar, all I see is her energetic smile and her beautiful, loving eyes.

Brian Smith

frankenstein v. wordsworth acceptable v. unacceptableÑpersonal accounts a scar. stepmom. self love. endocrinologist.(4 accounts) I loved these personal accounts. Each one was real and had universal meaning for me.

a scar. each one of us has bumped around as kids, ending up with many marks all over our bodies. advertising, the media and the fashion industry all show us examples of how we should look, but obviously nobody can actually be like those few people we see in the media. when I was 14, I had a bike accident and my left cheek is fatter than my right cheek from calcium buildup near the bone so when I smile, you may notice the difference. I thought about it for a while, but then I forgot about it after a while. Nobody really notices now and even if I mention it, people still donÕt notice. am I loved? of course!

stepmom. looking for acceptance. we all do it. no matter what relationship we happen to be in in our young lives. most of high school is spent "looking for acceptance". just like frankenstein. how do we deal with it? sometimes we just keep looking in an endless circle until we realize what weÕre doing with ourselves. an emotional roller coasterÑanger, frustration, anger. a young child isnÕt ready for this? a young child that doesnÕt have a choice grows up(innocence to experience) fast, not realizing whatÕs going on to them.

self love. what a tough young lady! eating disorders make me sad. in college IÕve had some friends who IÕve suspected of having a disorder, and I donÕt know how to help them. a feeling of helplessnessÑon my part. do these individuals feel helpless too? all weÕve got to rely on is ourselves. frustration. I still want to help those I care about. we cant just sit by and hope for someone to find self love, can we? going off to college can be a scary experience. nothing is the same. everything is new. home is the sameÑnot necessarily.

endocrinologist. self love. emotional roller coaster 2. society telling another one of us that appearance IS most important. resilient woman! so we learn through experience that we must rely on our own words running through our heads. whatÕs really going on? am I ok?

tony lee

The Frankenstein and Werther group was sincerely and articulately presented and it was incredible that these five women shared thoughts and made the experience so intimate. The connection between the two works of literature were profound and thought provoking that went farther than the works themselves but into the present time and how everyone can, on some level relate. When Kali spoke of the realization that everyone else can see the scar but her unless she looked in the mirror, it made a connection to how others look at each other with judgemental eyes. Even more people seem to be doing just that these days. This group spoke to that issue in a subtle way because of how women feel obligated to look a certain way, even if one cannot fit into that mold. If that mold does not fit that person there is a chance of being an outcast. It is as though there is a cloud of fear that looms over women of all ages and that women are some of the same that impose that fear through fashion magazines, media,etc... It's as though throughout time people have created a MONSTER of socially accepted norms and deviating from that may result in an execution of humiliation. This group proved the contrary that being yourself and loving YOU is how to destroy the personal monster within and break barriers on society's sometimes harsh eyes.

A. Simon