The Art of Listening

Henning Mankell came to Africa with the purpose that he wanted to discover a new perspective of European egocentricity. To do this, he made a life for himself in the new country for nearly 25 years. As he observes the culture itself, he talks about the art of listening and how it differs from the way we construct it ourselves. One of the biggest differences is that in the African culture, there is more detail and description in communication with others.

As a review from both chapter one of the Wadsworth textbook and Kenneth Burke’s Parlor conversation, understanding where the story is coming from is the most important aspect in communication. Without research and background knowledge, you can’t fully understand what another person is establishing. All of these concepts discussed can and will be helpful when conducting Project: Experiment. In order to reach your full potential, you will need to find background information. Makell’s experience can be helpful in the sense that you need to pay attention to every step you take in your experiment and focus on even the little details.

Library Session

Overall, I found the library session to be very helpful. I have been informed about the article databases before, however, I was never aware of how detailed they can be. The piece of information that I found most helpful was making sure that you narrow your search down to a single word per box. I also learned the impact narrowing your search has on the results you will gather. Because our 104 project will become research-based, this new knowledge can have a great deal of impact on me being successful. I will be able to search a variety of resources from all different angles.

What's Important to Me...

When I was asked to write about “what’s important to me,” several things came to my mind. I instantly noted my family and the immense amount of love and support we have for each other. Just within the past few years we have overcome so many hardships and I believe this has truly brought us closer together. Just within the few months of being at college, I have noticed a greater connection between the four of us. Not only is my immediate family important to me, but my extended family has such a good place in my heart as well. My parents both come from large families, which increases the love and support I gain. It is such a wonderful feeling to know that I will always have so many people to stand by my side in every decision I make. In addition, my two best friends are so important to me. When the three of us are together, I feel like we could conquer the world. There is so much trust and respect in our relationship; I have never felt more comfortable around any two people. I believe that even though we are all at different schools, we will be able to maintain our close relationship with each other…I can’t wait to see where we all go in our futures! Altogether, these are the people who make me want to succeed in life.

For the longest time I have aspired to become a second grade teacher. I have worked with so many families and gained so many relationships with people whose children are the ones who have helped inspire me to teach. One day, however, I hope to own my own bed and breakfast. I want the success of achieving something all on my own, but I also think it would be so much fun.

I could go on and on about everything that is of importance to me...but I think the most important thing that I can do is to make decisions with these people and goals in mind. There is nothing scarier than the thought of failure and disappointment.