Who I Am Now

As the semester comes to an end, so will my time as a blogger/D&D student here at the University of Oklahoma. I came into this class, thinking that the topic would be pretty cool (because of my love for the show Vampire Diaries) and to expand my writing skills. However, I didn't just get those two priorities out of the way, but so many more.

I didn't realize how much doubles & doppelgangers had little to do with fantasy, movies, and stories but how much the topic had to do with society, reality, and our identities. This class allowed me to see split identities, doubles, and tension within the basis of knowing who you are because of so many social problems out there: social media, society, gender, race, the uncanny, etc. It was awesome to relate back to me personally and even endure the journey of seeing people and ourselves in a different perspective than when our class as a whole first came into the classroom.

I believe the most interesting topic that I had gotten to learn about was Freud's essay, The Uncanny. I had in fact, have felt those feelings, but until now, never could separate it into something in which explained why I felt like that and where the uncomfortable emotions were derived from. I can now understand the uncanniness brought in scary movies, scary stories, and even small things like my garage at night that makes for a creepy, unsettling setting.

I believe the most touching topic for me was Unit 2, involving mannequins, models, and society. The pressures placed on celebrities and even normal people are a constant battle that always seems to be a daily fight that will never end. Conformity, unrealistic standards, and demanding expectations are huge stresses in life, and seeing how Braudy's ideology of the "talked-of self" and the "unexpressed self" can take life form in everyone, is unsettling yet extraordinary.

I would like to give gratitude for an eye opening experience to this class for being so open and vulnerable about the various ideas, opinions, and stories that everyone had to share. I would love to give Dr. Mintler a huge thank you in her tremendous part of making me not just a better writer, but a more complex thinker.

Sincerely, 

Kristy Chong