Writing Prompt 27: Commencement Speech

Prompt: If you were chosen to give a commencement speech, what would you say to your classmates as they move ahead to their next challenges in life?

My friend Miriam told me that every graduation speech has the same pattern and mentions the same elements. Hope, Dreams, Goals and Life. It's true, graduation is about all of these things. By this point in our lives, we have reached some goal, to graduate, and now we are ready to make a more challenging goal, to get the job we want. So, the hope in a graduation speech is a motivator that encourages graduates to realize that as long as you believe you will get there you will. It's all about perseverance. You must have a motivation to hope that you will reach your goal. You must have a goal in order to reach your dreams. It's all a process of trial and error, living and learning. I've heard other commencement speeches that mentioned courage. Courage is required to achieve your dreams. The important thing that you must remember, at least from this moment in your lives is not just that you have graduated, but that you have taken your first big step into the real world. Graduation may be a rite of passage, but it is also a stepping stone toward the future you choose to build. But the most important thing to remember, as you go out in the real world is to persevere. The difference between successful people and people who choose to settle, is that they got back up when they were knocked down. If there is one thing you should remember from this experience in your life, it is to get up when you're knocked down. This is not easy, but remember, it is worth it in the long run. People admire those that never give up and keep pushing toward their goal. Those people will go where they want to go and they will achieve their dreams. I know that you've heard these words before, possibly from teachers, parents and mentors, but I encourage you to listen because they know what they're talking about. Reaching a goal and achieving a dream is not an easy thing, but you should know that. After all, you have passed one of the most difficult obstacles in a person's life, College. Congratulations and never forget that you have the ability to achieve whatever you want in life.

Chaotic or normal day at school? You decide

Writing Prompt for the day , no joke: Describe a typical day during the school year.

Wake up around 8:30 or 9
Try to remember breakfast
Try to make the least amount of noise as possible while still staying awake.
Go to class
Come back and do homework
Get a snack
Depending on whether it is Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday or Friday I may be done with classes for the day, if not I have fifteen minutes to return to the dorm and get ready for the next class, a lunch break before my third class and a ten minute walk to my last class.
If I'm done for the day, it's usually time to go on an adventure (usually consisting of the park or a grocery store)
Disorganized is organized in this schedule and a typical day of school ca be a typical day of confusion.

Why do people attack the Disney Princesses?

Ok, I''m currently in a Children's Literature class and the theme in most of these classes. The theme is to bash Disney, and Disney Princesses usually. Now, to be fair, these characters are fiction, and they live in fantasy worlds. As far as I know, the Disney Princesses are characters that influence young girls by being good role models and iconic representatives of their fairy tales. I know that the media is often blamed for people making bad choices, but Disney especially seems to get the most negative attention. I rarely hear people bash Dream Works or Nickolodeon for their characters. So just for fun, I decided to go through each Princess, and explain what they represented to me.

Snow White- I know that this character in particular is considered very passive and weak. Looking back on the movie, I would agree that Snow White runs from scary trees, faints and becomes very easily scared. Now I will bring in her situation: Evil Stepmother, hardly any social interaction with people, and mostly alone. As a character with these situations, Snow White seems to be believable. She is very innocent and naive because she has hardly seen the world, and actually has a talent for adapting to her surroundings. She may not be a feminist, but Snow White has a good heart, kind personality and a knack for adapting to situations. I believe she (considering her as a simple character) is a good role model for girls.

Cinderella- I actually haven't heard this character get bashed in a while. In fact, Cinderella seems to be the favorite Disney Princess of our society. The Cinderella story is done many times, with different characters, and is still a guideline for some of today's action films. The only complaint that I have heard about Cinderella, is that she doesn't stand up for herself. Well, in a way, she does. One, she ignores many of the insults thrown at her, continues to work hard, and she has a kind nature. Also, she stands up to Lucifer, the cat, several times, making it clear that she's in charge. She also has an optimistic personailty, which is better than a pessimistic one.

Aurora (Sleeping Beauty)- The only negative criticism I hear about this character is her lack of knowledge about pointy things. Well, to be honest, she probably never heard of a Spinning wheel because they were banned and the king and queen wanted to avoid Malificent's Prophecy, so of course they didn't tell her. Aurora has many qualities in her personality. She is kind, of course, curious (which can lead to knowledge) and seems comfortable with a simple life. (She isn't selfish).

Pocahontas- This is probably the most underrated character in the Disney Princess line. In fact I have a friend who told me this is her favorite movie :) Anyway, Pocahontas is one of the strongest women characters in the Disney line. She is very confident, smart and she loves to have fun. She is more social than the previous three, but she also has an intelligent side that brings the English and Native Americans together. This movie may not be exactly like the historical story, but no one can say Pocahontas is a weak character.

Ariel- The story of The Little Mermaid itself has been debated over as a good or bad story to tell children. I'll stick to Ariel for this blog. So this princess is one of the most popular for many reasons; her appearance, her voice and her personality. Ariel is an adventurous, social, persistent, creative and curious character. She is also active in the sense that she tries to understand the world in her way, rather than accept what she has been told. The complaint of her rebellion can be understandable, but her age plays a big role in her story. She is sixteen, a teenager. That can sum up a lot of her actions. Still, she has the motivation to achieve her dreams, which is another characteristic for role models.

Belle- My favorite, and one of the most liberating characters in the Disney Princess line, Belle shows a very strong personality for her generation. She stands up to Gaston for one, and the Beast for another. She is portrayed as an avid reader (smart), curious dreamer (adventurous) and a loyal daughter. She also shows a sophisticated response to Gaston's harassment. She is kind, and seems comfortable around people. Belle is also able to adapt to her surroundings and she seems confident with herself. These are very interesting characteristics and good qualities in a role model.

Jasmine- This Disney princess is ahead of her time ( in her own story). She wants to marry for love, and makes it happen. She also doesn't care about status or money. Similar to Ariel, she has a bit of a rebellious streak, but not enough that it becomes a problem. This desire becomes an action to change a palace law. She also stands up to Jafar and stands up for Aladdin twice. She is a courageous, stubborn, resourceful, and compassionate.

Mulan- Clearly Mulan is strong. She takes up her father's sword and armor, goes to war and even while everyone knows she is a woman, defeats Shan Yu. She is smart, persistent, strong, courageous, resourceful, competitive and loyal. Mulan is absolutely a good role model for girls and shows that the impossible is possible (in terms of gender roles).

Tiana- A very strong character, Tiana shows the values of working towards your dreams and valuing life. She is passionate, persistent, friendly, goal oriented, loyal, independent and responsible. These are excellent qualities for a girl to look up to. Completely the opposite of a damsel in distress, Tiana shows a successful story arc to achieving a goal. She knows that it is important to take action in order to get what you want in life.

Rapunzel- Rapunzel is the artistic soul in the Disney Princess line. She is naive in the beginning, but learns quickly. She also has a goal to motivate her, and learns to stand up for herself and perceive the world around her. She is creative, playful, charismatic, brave, talented, productive, and loyal.

So those are the princesses so far. I think these characters were created to modernize fairy tales and serve as role models for young girls. So I really don't understand why these characters get put down by college professors and used as negative examples in college discussions.

Dangers of steping outside the dorm

Warning you may have to deal with the following when stepping out of the dorm:
Blinding, white snow
Ice in winter
Nature's Wrath: in the form of wind
Flying objects: Usually a frisbee
People in a hurry to class: caution they usually run into you
Tests and Essays : Enough said
Very loud noises
Skate boarders
Bicycles
Speeding college kids in the parking lot

Warning: Esssays cause insanity

Three days ago a research project started in the Universities around the world. Random visits showed that nine out of ten students go crazy during essay and exam weeks. Some students we interviewed were only able to babble or give blank stares when we asked them how they were feeling during this time. One particular student showed us her stash of "emergency" chocolates while another student introduced us to video games. The important trips to the library were silent observations on students hard at work. A few anonymous conversations were heard about teachers, "Waiting until the last minute to schedule their end of semester essays." A few students were able to speak and told us that three or four essays were all due on the same day. This is a mind boggling experiment and led us to realize students under pressure act like caged animals in a zoo. Going through the hallways of the dorms, we heard loud shouts and party music, while in the class building we heard students complain about how they have no life. Another stressful topic is the bibliography, done in several different ways. The different formats of essays caused confusion in every classroom we observed. As the research trip drew to a close, we asked the students what they would do when their essays were done. Some said they would "party like there was no tomorrow" while others said they would "take a mini vacation". It is official, essays cause stress for students. If you are writing an essay and become stressed out, here are some side effects to look out for:

Constant Babbling (with actual or made up words)
Ripping or tearing of paper (This is seen in more aggressive students)
A constant diet of chocolates or sweets (As long as you go to the gym this isn't an issue)
Movie marathons (With or without commentary)
Long discussions of essay topics (usually performed with frantic behavior)
Walking like a zombie (If this is the case make sure you walk by a teacher)
Anxiety of due dates (This is the most common side effect)
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (from writing or typing)
Headaches (From too much focus on computer screens)

From the Student Sanity Society: Good Luck and stay sane!