This Blog is a resource tool for the students taking the "FACING HISTORY AND OURSELVES" elective at Westborough High School, Westborough, Massachusetts.
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
PERIOD 7 - "THE BEAR THAT WASN'T"
Today you read The Bear That Wasn't by Frank Tashlin. Please share with the class your thoughts about the story and be sure to post at least one comment on another classmate's reflective post.
I think this story shows that the majority dictates your Identity unless you choose to be yourself. If you choose to follow what other people think you should be then you are morphing your Identity and you can never be your own person. There is always them controlling your outcome and not you. The Bear in this story almost was persuaded to change to what others thought he was. In the end he comes through saying he was a Bear and a very smart Bear, because he didn’t fail himself by choosing to accept an Identity which he was not.
I believe this story explains how people are easily persuaded into thinking they're someone that they're aren't. In the story the bear was told he wasn't a bear and eventually believed he was just a factory worker. He changed his identity because of what someone else of a higher power told him to do. But, when the factory closed down the Bear remembered who he actually was and began to live his life as he did prior to the factory being built around his home.
This book really showed the importance of knowing who you are and the fact that others may think they know you but really don't. It shows the importance of the sense of self, which I believe to be an important lesson to everyone. Even though the Bear was told by people who were more influential in society than himself that he wasn't in fact a Bear; he stood true to who he was and what he believed. He wasn't influenced by their thinking.
And in Responce to Matt Oriol; I agree with his opening statement saying that the story did in fact show that majority dictates your society unless you choose to dictate your own.
I think that this story is an important lesson as to why one should not let his identity be defined by others. While it may be hard to do so in the face of a large group, it is important to know and maintain your identity.
I also agree with what Matt said. If you follow a group, then you are not controlling yourself and you have lost what makes you and individual and what makes up you own being.
I thought this story proved that one’s identity is formed through other’s opinions. Although the bear knew that he was a bear, he believed that he was a factory worker because everyone kept telling him that. However, in the end it comes down to the truth and what is really his identity – a bear. So I agree with Sam that even if it is hard, it is important to know and maintain your true identity.
I found this story to be about how image and such concepts as 'sane' or 'normal' are terms defined by the society one finds oneself in. The bear found itself to be in a society which chose to ram it's opinion down the bear's throat, to the point where it was easier and less dangerous for the bear to simply go along with the image his society had created for him.
Matt Oriol retells the end of the story, where the bear thinks itself to be smart and not silly. Although a true enough statement to the book, I believe this point is debatable, as the bear sure seemed silly to me, when he went along with the ruse that he was just a silly man who needed a shave and wore a fur coat.
The book really shows how people with higher power can really persuade others to believe something. It shows that you have to be strong with your belief regardless of what others think, stand by your opinion and don't let others redirect it based on what THEY think. It's your life, you direct it, not anyone else. After many characters trying to tell the Bear that he isnt actually a bear, he begins to go with the flow and what the majority of people tell him and begins to work. Eventually at the end of the book during the cold winter he needs to be a bear and go hibernate, because he realizes that he is a bear. I agree with Celina in that its important to know who you are, but not based on what others think.
I believe that the bear learned his lesson at the end of the story when he was stranded out in the storm. He realized that he didn’t have to be a factory worker just because everyone told him he was, and when he was freezing in the snow, he decided he would just go back to being a bear, because that is who he really is. I also agree with Annie that is may be difficult to maintain your identity when people with power constantly try to alter it.
I think that this story shows how people with more power than you or a higher status can influence you into thinking like them and not thinking freely for yourself. It is important to not be defined by others because it’s what the majority of people may think but to believe in what you think. You have to find your own identity and not let people change the way you think. I agree with Matt because you have to believe in what you believe in, and not what a group of others may believe in because it is what a majority of people think. You have to be yourself and try to be like others.
I think that the main theme of this story is that you should be whoever you want to be regardless of what people tell you. In the beginning of this story the bear is aware that he is a bear, but he loses his identity once he awakes in the factory and is told repeatedly that he is not a bear. At first he denies being a human, but after being told he is wrong enough times, he gives in and starts to believe that he is not a bear. The bear doesn’t realize that he is indeed actually a bear until he is near death and he comes to the conclusion that it doesn’t matter if he is a bear or not, he realizes that he has the option to be who he wants to be, and he choose to be a bear.
I think the story shows a theme of how someones identity can be defined by how others percieve them and not how they want to be percieved. Throughout the story, the Bear's identity is influenced by the factory workers as they percieve him as a silly unshaven man with a furcoat. The Bear tries to maintain his identity, but is eventually convinced to thinking that this is his true identity as he is told this over and over again.
I agree with Sam's comment. It may be difficult to stand up to the majority, but one must always maintain his/her identity.
I think this story is a great example of how you shouldn't allow anyone to set ur idenity. Only you can decide who you are and how you act. i liked how at the end of the story, th bear finally realized that he is who he is and he wasen't going to allow the factory workers to change his identity.
I agree with Sean that you should be who you want to be. this is because anyone can be anyone they want to be and should not be told by others who or what they should be.
I really liked the story. I think it shows that you should always be true to yourself no matter what. It also shows however, how difficult it may be to do so when people are trying to tell you that you're something other than who you think you are. I agree with what Celina said about the importance of knowing who you are.
I believe that this story shows the importance of one's identity. Despite society's influence, each person has their own identity that they should define for themselves. I thought that the author did a good job of portraying this reality by causing the bear to freeze as soon as he allowed society to define him. I disagree with Corinne. Identity wouldn't be as unique to each person if society and societal boundaries defined it. I feel that if society defined ones' identity then every identity would be the same or at least be very similar.
I think the story is a good example of someone not being confident with their beliefs and this causes them to second guess those beliefs when somebody else opposes them. The bear originally argued that he was indeed a bear but eventually thought that since everyone else said he wasn't, that he must be wrong and they were right. I agree with Matt that unless you choose to be yourself and not let anybody tell you otherwise than the majority can tell you what you are and what you are not.
19 comments:
I think this story shows that the majority dictates your Identity unless you choose to be yourself. If you choose to follow what other people think you should be then you are morphing your Identity and you can never be your own person. There is always them controlling your outcome and not you. The Bear in this story almost was persuaded to change to what others thought he was. In the end he comes through saying he was a Bear and a very smart Bear, because he didn’t fail himself by choosing to accept an Identity which he was not.
I believe this story explains how people are easily persuaded into thinking they're someone that they're aren't. In the story the bear was told he wasn't a bear and eventually believed he was just a factory worker. He changed his identity because of what someone else of a higher power told him to do. But, when the factory closed down the Bear remembered who he actually was and began to live his life as he did prior to the factory being built around his home.
This book really showed the importance of knowing who you are and the fact that others may think they know you but really don't. It shows the importance of the sense of self, which I believe to be an important lesson to everyone. Even though the Bear was told by people who were more influential in society than himself that he wasn't in fact a Bear; he stood true to who he was and what he believed. He wasn't influenced by their thinking.
And in Responce to Matt Oriol; I agree with his opening statement saying that the story did in fact show that majority dictates your society unless you choose to dictate your own.
I think that this story is an important lesson as to why one should not let his identity be defined by others. While it may be hard to do so in the face of a large group, it is important to know and maintain your identity.
I also agree with what Matt said. If you follow a group, then you are not controlling yourself and you have lost what makes you and individual and what makes up you own being.
I thought this story proved that one’s identity is formed through other’s opinions. Although the bear knew that he was a bear, he believed that he was a factory worker because everyone kept telling him that. However, in the end it comes down to the truth and what is really his identity – a bear. So I agree with Sam that even if it is hard, it is important to know and maintain your true identity.
I found this story to be about how image and such concepts as 'sane' or 'normal' are terms defined by the society one finds oneself in. The bear found itself to be in a society which chose to ram it's opinion down the bear's throat, to the point where it was easier and less dangerous for the bear to simply go along with the image his society had created for him.
Matt Oriol retells the end of the story, where the bear thinks itself to be smart and not silly. Although a true enough statement to the book, I believe this point is debatable, as the bear sure seemed silly to me, when he went along with the ruse that he was just a silly man who needed a shave and wore a fur coat.
I agree with Sams responce stating how hard it is to confront a large group, and Matt about the bear and finding his true identity.
The book really shows how people with higher power can really persuade others to believe something. It shows that you have to be strong with your belief regardless of what others think, stand by your opinion and don't let others redirect it based on what THEY think. It's your life, you direct it, not anyone else. After many characters trying to tell the Bear that he isnt actually a bear, he begins to go with the flow and what the majority of people tell him and begins to work. Eventually at the end of the book during the cold winter he needs to be a bear and go hibernate, because he realizes that he is a bear. I agree with Celina in that its important to know who you are, but not based on what others think.
I believe that the bear learned his lesson at the end of the story when he was stranded out in the storm. He realized that he didn’t have to be a factory worker just because everyone told him he was, and when he was freezing in the snow, he decided he would just go back to being a bear, because that is who he really is. I also agree with Annie that is may be difficult to maintain your identity when people with power constantly try to alter it.
I think that this story shows how people with more power than you or a higher status can influence you into thinking like them and not thinking freely for yourself. It is important to not be defined by others because it’s what the majority of people may think but to believe in what you think. You have to find your own identity and not let people change the way you think.
I agree with Matt because you have to believe in what you believe in, and not what a group of others may believe in because it is what a majority of people think. You have to be yourself and try to be like others.
I think that the main theme of this story is that you should be whoever you want to be regardless of what people tell you. In the beginning of this story the bear is aware that he is a bear, but he loses his identity once he awakes in the factory and is told repeatedly that he is not a bear. At first he denies being a human, but after being told he is wrong enough times, he gives in and starts to believe that he is not a bear. The bear doesn’t realize that he is indeed actually a bear until he is near death and he comes to the conclusion that it doesn’t matter if he is a bear or not, he realizes that he has the option to be who he wants to be, and he choose to be a bear.
I agree with Celina in that a large theme throughout this book is knowing who you are.
I think the story shows a theme of how someones identity can be defined by how others percieve them and not how they want to be percieved. Throughout the story, the Bear's identity is influenced by the factory workers as they percieve him as a silly unshaven man with a furcoat. The Bear tries to maintain his identity, but is eventually convinced to thinking that this is his true identity as he is told this over and over again.
I agree with Sam's comment. It may be difficult to stand up to the majority, but one must always maintain his/her identity.
I think this story is a great example of how you shouldn't allow anyone to set ur idenity. Only you can decide who you are and how you act. i liked how at the end of the story, th bear finally realized that he is who he is and he wasen't going to allow the factory workers to change his identity.
I agree with Sean that you should be who you want to be. this is because anyone can be anyone they want to be and should not be told by others who or what they should be.
I really liked the story. I think it shows that you should always be true to yourself no matter what. It also shows however, how difficult it may be to do so when people are trying to tell you that you're something other than who you think you are. I agree with what Celina said about the importance of knowing who you are.
I believe that this story shows the importance of one's identity. Despite society's influence, each person has their own identity that they should define for themselves. I thought that the author did a good job of portraying this reality by causing the bear to freeze as soon as he allowed society to define him. I disagree with Corinne. Identity wouldn't be as unique to each person if society and societal boundaries defined it. I feel that if society defined ones' identity then every identity would be the same or at least be very similar.
I think the story is a good example of someone not being confident with their beliefs and this causes them to second guess those beliefs when somebody else opposes them. The bear originally argued that he was indeed a bear but eventually thought that since everyone else said he wasn't, that he must be wrong and they were right. I agree with Matt that unless you choose to be yourself and not let anybody tell you otherwise than the majority can tell you what you are and what you are not.
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