akhan11

[akhan11]

Table of contents

Welcome to my blog! Below is a table of contents I have attached to make navigating this layout a little easier if you prefer to not have to scroll an annoying amount again and again to find each excerpt..

1. Growing up with words - mild intro/thesis??

2. Friends and family

3. The media

4. Books

5. Music + conclusion

This table of contents is also displayed to the left of the page, on the sidebar that reads "table of contents".

- i attached another link on the side labeled "music" which includes some of the songs I mentioned in my music excerpt as a side source.

- The siderbar label that reads "books" takes you to my goodreads shelf which includes the books I referenced in an excerpt

- Some of the links aren't relevant to the project (e.g. Send mail, Archive, Theme) and you can just ignore them as they either relate to boosting this account or the blog's template

[akhan11]

Words have played a strong role in shaping me and my personality. From my birth certificate, to what I learn at school and home, to the books I read and the songs I listen to, words have constanly influenced my way of thinking as well as my perspective on myself and others. However, the examples that you see will be ones that I hold more closely to me.

[akhan11]

Friends and family

Expectedly, my friends and family are a notable verbal influence on me. My knowledge and beliefs are directly affected by what my family lets me have access to. Phones and technology are an example of this. By allowing me to use computers at a very young age, my parents granted me access to the plethora of information the internet offered me. Another example would be their direct teachings for me. Because I was tutored by my parents out of school, it was easy for me to get ahead in class. I was blessed with knowledge in and out of school.

Many aspects of my worldview are affected by what my parents teach me. For example, I was raised in an Islamic household. I was set up with a religious teacher who influenced me to read the Qur'an and learn about the rules of Islam (e.g. fasting, praying 5 times a day). As such, religion now makes up a significant portion of my worldview.

Picture of the Qur'an, the Holy book of Islam

As a student, much of my time is also spent around my friends. Each of my friends have their unique views, which we discuss from time to time. Talking to my friends is an effective way of exposing myself to different perspectives and ways of thinking. For example, a friend of mine that is raised at a farm and profits off their cows most likely has a different view on reducing cow milk consumption to my other friend that is mostly raised in the city, and surrounded by environmental activism. Speaking with my friends on issues such as these helps me build my own unique perspective.

[akhan11]

The media

I think we are often unbeknownst to how strong of an impact the meda has on us, especially younger people. Many of us grew up as close to our gadgets as we did our siblings. We are constantly absorbing information from our phones and such. The influence of media on our minds is immeasurable. A wide variety of perspectives and news find their way to our screens everyday, constantly making changes to our belief system and worldview. In fact, this external source even leads us to believe in ideas that differ from our parents teachings, a phenomenon that would undoubtedly be less prevalent without it.

News

News stations have had a significant impact on me (and probably most of us). Growing up, the only exposure I had to other countries, including Cnada, was through TV and other sources of news. They taught me about ongoing issues in countries such as the United States and neighbouring countries (India and Bangladesh at the time). I still remember the first thing I saw on the news, which was related to the capture and execution of Osama Bin Laden.

Social Media

I first started using social media aorund the age of 10, though my usage of the internet started way before this. Instagram and Tumblr were some of the first social media apps I downloaded. On Tumblr, I was exposed to the rise of the earliest debates around modern issues such as gender identity and third/fourth-wave feminism at a young age. The first fashion trend I witnessed was also on Tumblr - the grunge style.

Logo for Tumblr

A more recent app I use that has a strong influence on current trends is TikTok. Through TikTok, I kept up with, and learned about many issues on the loop, such as the BLM movement, the GameStop bets, the US election, and COVID.

Logo for TikTok

[akhan11]

Books

I love reading. Reading is a more direct example of how words have affected me. Whether it's my biology textbook or a fictional story, my brain is like a sponge when it comes to books - it soaks up whatever it reads. Some books, however, are more special than others, and some are much more memorable as well.

This Is Where It Ends, Marieke Nijkamp

My copy of “This Is Where It Ends” by Marieke Nijkamp

"This Is Where It Ends" is a fictional story that revolves around a school shooting that takes place at Opportunity, a high school in Alabama. It ends tragically. People aren't all that are lost - dreams are too. Although I wasn't content with the lack of characterisation for key characters such as Tyler, the school shooter, or missing detail surrounding important relationships between characters, I was still taken by surprise every time another character was murdered. The book made a big impact on my view on the fragility of human life. In the face of conflict, the attacker can be prompted by anything. Their actions are unpredictable as they may have little to no care for who they kill. In situations such as these, luck might just be the only hope for one's survival. This book taught me the reality of how scary that is.

A Time To Kill, John Grisham

My copy of “A Time To Kill” by John Grisham

Another book that really made me think was "A Time To Kill" by John Grisham. It started off extremely brutal, with the detailed assault and rape of a 10-year-old black girl by two men. I was immediately struck with surprise, because I didn't expect the book to jump into such a heavy topic this quickly. I had to put it down for five minutes so I could think to myself and reflect on what I jsut read. The book just got worse and worse, with the girl's father murdering the rapists (and getting arrested for it), and the KKK being summoned to harass the families of several people defending the father, including the attorney. Some even went as far as far as planting a bomb underneath the porch of Jake, the attorney's house.

All in all, the book was really effective with teaching me about the corrupt justice system in the late 1900s, especially with strong racial and external pressures on court cases. Reading about events like these from a textbook (objective, direct source of information) is very different from a story with characters that you get to learn about and know on a personal level. It is much more exposing to the fact that this is happening in real life, to real people.

Works of Friedrich Nietzsche

My copies of “Beyond Good and Evil” & “Thus Spoke Zarathustra” by Friedrich Nietzsche

Friedrich Nietzsche is a German philosopher whose ideas are common amongst my age group. He focused on existentialism, morals, religion, self-improvement, and such. While reading his books, I was immediately attracted to some of his ideas. One of my personal favourites is his three metamorphoses: the camel, the lion, and the child. It taught me a new perspective to experience life through - one that involves overcoming the burdens that are placed on us, and rejecting to follow the conventions that we are pressured into following. Instead, it inspired me to follow my own rules and live life as me, not what everyone wants to see in me.

[akhan11]

Music

Music is one of the bigger examples of ways that words have influenced me. I listen to music all the time. When I’m in the bathroom, studying, or relaxing during my breaks at school, I’m almost guaranteed to have my music on me. However, not all music is the same to me. Some artists I listen to are a source of positive energy that uplift my mood. Some are relaxing and help me calm down. Others are good for when I just feel down and wanna stare at the roof in misery. 

Mitski

Album Cover for Be The Cowboy 

Mitski is a Japanese-American singer whose songs are mostly centered around love, heartbreak, acceptance, and identity. She is really important to me, because her music touches on a lot of sensitive topics (for me) related to gender roles, cultural differences, family issues, and love. Some of my favourite songs are “Your Best American Girl”, “Why Didn’t You Stop me?”, and “Washing Machine Heart”. The raw emotion that Mitski releases in her songs is mesmerizing and her sad songs are unique to me for the reason that, unlike most other sad/deep songs, it is easy for me to connect with her songs through actual events in my life. While I embrace my freedom that came with the privilege of being able to move to such a safe country, I do comfort myself with Mitski when I am struggling to stay on terms with myself and my identity. 

Lyric from “A Pearl”, Be The Cowboy

Joy Division

“Unknown Pleasures” album cover

Joy Division is, without a doubt, a band that I hold very closely to my heart. A while after moving to Athabasca, I suffered from recurrent seizures at night and upon waking up. I was eventually hospitalised and diagnosed with epilepsy. Joy Division has produced songs related to the lead singer, Ian Curtis’ struggles with epilepsy, such as “She’s Lost Control” and “Disorder”. Although I have been treated for epilepsy and don’t suffer from seizures anymore, I found comfort in these songs because they helped me cope with the hardships that epilepsy caused me, especially related to my learning ability as well as feeling like I was looked down upon and left behind in school.

Some lyrics struck out hard at me. An example was “And she’s clinging to the nearest passerby / she’s lost control” (She’s Lost Control). The girl in question, though she was just like everyone else, faced unique difficulties because of her epilepsy and had to depend on those aorund her for help. She struggled to gain independence because of her condition. This song really spoke to me, because I struggled with detaching myself from others when my seizures were at their worst. It felt like I was seen as the “special needs” person by those who knew about my seizures. However, I have since improved with my self-image and concluded that I am not the person I was back then, nor should I feel ashamed for depending on others. Joy Division’s songs played an important role in helping me come to terms with this.

Lyric from “Disorder”, Unknown Pleasures

MGMT

MGMT is one of my favourite bands, with or without an emotional attachment. Though there are some songs that incite strong emotions in me (e.g. Time to Pretend), I usually listen to MGMT as background music for my own life. Their music instantly improves my mood because of the exciting beats it creates. That’s not all there is to MGMT, however, because they also have songs that I can play when I’m feeling down. My favourite songs from MGMT are “James”, “Me and Michael”, “When You’re Small”, and “One Thing Left To Try”. 

Lyric from “Time To Pretend”, Oracular Spectacular

Without music, I can’t imagine how dull my life would be (ex. sitting on the toilet with no background music). Life is quiet for me without music, and I feel as if I often take how important it is to my day-to-day life for granted.

Words have been of crucial importance to me. They have carved out my personality and formed most, if not all of my worldview. From a broad perspective, words are responsible for who I am today, and my character.