DR. BRETT SCHMOLL
OFFICE: FACULTY TOWERS 201A
OFFICE HOURS: TUE AND THU 12-1
OFFICE PHONE: 661-654-6549
BASICS OF THE COURSE EACH WEEK
These are time sensitive. You do not receive credit if you write them after the deadline each week. Furthermore, if you are in the habit of writing everything on Saturday you will not receive full credit. Why? There would be no time for others to interact with your writing. Write early; write often! Right? Right!
First, there's a blog entry (about 250 words) which will have you respond to a hopefully thought-provoking question. Each week, you must do the blog entry with enough time left in the week to be able to enter into dialogue online with your classmates. Write, reply, write more, reply more, and then write and reply more.
Second, there's a reading. There’s no blog entry associated with this. Just read.
Third, there's a written response to the reading. Your reading and writing on the blog must be completed by the SATURDAY (by midnight) of the week in which the reading falls. This entry should be a long paragraph. YOU DO NOT NEED TO RESPOND TO OTHER STUDENTS' PART THREE EACH WEEK.
Monday, October 20, 2014
WEEK SIX BLOG ENTRY
How important are walls in our world? Which are more powerful, physical ones or non-physical ones?
This question made me think of the book we are reading. In “Tortilla Curtain” a wall is put up to make the community feel safe. It is there to keep violence at bay. Specifically, they are scared of the rising number of immigrants from Mexico. This wall is the physical barrier that makes a strong statement. However, this does not keep the fire or Candido from breaching inside. On the other hand, non-physical barriers have no limits. These non-physical barriers are abstract and have the potential for real destruction. To exist, non-physical barriers require people to believe and enforce certain ideals so that a barrier can thrive. For example, racism. The main reason Candido is struggling to survive in America, is because, metaphorically, he does not belong to the land he is inhabiting. In the book, the community come together and dehumanize Candido and other immigrants. They do not recognize his struggle and deprive him of opportunities. Prejudice, hate and fear are the driving forces creating this boundary. This is crippling Delany. He has overcome, the physical barrier of entering the country, but he will not survive because of an abstract-boundary.
Out of survival, Candido cannot afford to think less of himself. This non-physical boundary can be amplified and strengthened if he started to believe that he was less of a human being. Race is not the only non-physical barrier that exists, but history has shown us how harmful it can be.
I really enjoyed reading your response. It seems well thought out and made great ties to our novel. I totally agree with your response. "He has overcome... " was a great sentence. I could not have said it better.
Racism is, perhaps one of the most powerful non-physical wall that continues to exist in the 21st century. There are individuals who subscribe to the idea, we now live in a colorblind society because the first black president was elected. These assumption should be carefully examined and not misconstrued. I haven't got to far into the book but your illustration defiantly kept my attention.
This week's topic really made me think. To determine the significance of walls in our world, we must evaluate what walls are. I imagined a world without boundaries. A world without rules or structure . Whether discussing physical or non physical walls, both are significant to our society. Both provide structure and order within our society. I personally believe that non physical walls are more important than physical ones because of what non physical walls stand for. Non physical walls can be personal boundaries or social obstacles, etc. There boundaries vary, depending on the individual. They can be psychological and be very powerful. A person's ability to overcome these obstacles or set these non physical barriers for themselves, shows a certain strength that can be admired by others. Facing and conquering life's challenges can make an individual a better, wiser person. Although I believe that non physical walls are important, I do not want to discredit physical walls. Physical walls provide a sense of privacy. I could only imagine living in a home with no walls. I am pretty sure it would be terrible. Physical walls can also provide a sense of security. They serve the purpose of keeping things in and out.
Walls are important in life and in the world. They provide safety and protections. Walls separate rooms and places in order to maintain privacy and isolation. In the book “Tortilla Curtain” we can see that walls play a major role in this book. We can see that the word “border” is mentioned and also the word “gate”. Cándido is from another country, México and that the he is from the other side of the border, another wall in which he belongs but not here in the USA. Delaney wants to place a gate in his neighborhood and yet again, another “wall” is mentioned. Walls in this book show us how people place barriers to keep away from each other, whether is race of social class, walls are meant to show barriers. Physical walls are far worse than metaphorical walls because they show physically how one person is trying to keep away from the other. Just like in the book, gating communities are meant to protect those of higher class and let the inferior social class that they need to keep away and do not trespass because there is a difference between the two. Cándido has both “walls” against him: physical and non-physical. He has a physical “wall” which is the gate and the boarder of the USA. The non-physical wall he has against him is that he is in another country, a country in which he doesn’t know the language and this is a barrier or a wall for him. Now that Cándido is in the USA, the issue that he will have many obstacles and “walls” to overcome.
I believe that both types of walls are extremely powerful, but I think history has showed us that physical walls have been the easier of the two to break down. In 1961, the Berlin wall was erected to separate the east and west sides of Berlin with the intentions of keeping the fascist interests of the west from entering the east. West Berlin often referred to the barrier as the “wall of shame” and would constantly condemn the wall and those behind it, accusing both with restriction on freedom of movement from one part of the country to another. The madness lasted over 25 years, bringing along with it hundreds of injuries and deaths in attempts to flee from one side to the other. This wall was eventually defeated, and the country is now unified. However, there are many other nonphysical walls which have stood the test of time for centuries. It’s no secret that racism is still an issue in the world today, and is being seen on more levels than people may be aware of. Just this past summer USC lost one of their backup running backs as senior Anthony Brown quit after accusing head coach Steve Sarkisian of making racist comments towards the player. Earlier this year, FC Barcelona and Brazilian star Dani Alves was racially taunted by fans as a banana was thrown at him from the stands. These are just a couple of small examples of the issue still existing today. Religion is another root of nonphysical walls that have been standing for as long as we can remember. How many wars have been fought over simple beliefs? How much fighting is still going on over this topic? It’s not as easy to take a wrecking ball to someone’s mind as it is to a concrete barrier.
I should have read your post before writing mine. I wrote something very similar! I promise I wrote it before reading yours, ha. Any who, I agree with what you wrote about racism being a wall that is hard to break down. Your post is very well written too. I like that you used examples from two of my favorite sports teams.
Anthony, I also agree with your statement. Non-physical walls have affected the entire world’s civilization from its foundation. Even today within our society there are stigmas over things like interracial marriage. Children from different races or religion are often directed, by parents’ beliefs, which they should wed. These non-physical barriers are impossible to knock down.
I agree, in history physical walls have been easier to break down. Using a bull dozer or wrecking ball could destroy a wall in no time at all but non physical walls seem like they take forever to destroy.
Regarding you last sentence, I couldn't agree more. Once individuals are socialized to believe or follow a certain ideology, change is almost impossible. Being a sociology major, I often try to challenge friends and family to see things differently. Unfortunately, I am almost always unsuccessful.
HI Anthony, This The Berlin wall and iron curtain were also some examples that popped into my head. Are you a history major? If not, you are well educated in the realm of history.
Thanks for the feedback everyone! Rachel, I'm actually a PEAK major studying nutrition, but I've always love history, I certainly contemplated being a History or Literature major in my earlier years here at CSUB.
I like your reference about physical walls being easier to break down with a wrecking ball but not non-physical walls being more sturdier. I totally agree with your opinion.
I like your reference on racism still going on today, even in a soccer game. I also like your input on how through history there have been physical wall built in order to show segregation. The Berlin Wall was a great example on how the Germans showed segregation with a literal wall. Good job.
I do think the Berlin Wall was extremely important in history. Walls are very powerful if we like it or not. That is something we are going to have to live with.
Great response. I like how you tied in history and current events with your view on physical and non-physical walls. I can see why you also may think religion is a barrier between humans, especially with the religious wars going on. However, I also think it encourages people to come together for one belief, which is not that simple as you put it. Well to each there own!
A wall is defined as a barrier to protect and lend privacy. Whether physical or non-physical walls are built to create a sense of security in a persons life. In saying this, walls have become a significant part in our existence. History has taught us that a physical wall can divide countries, ravage towns, and kill humans. However, it has also showed us that whether its a graffiti artist or two lovers on opposite ends of the Berlin wall, artistic and human freedom have overcome all walls. In order to overcome walls, physical or non-physical, it takes a change of mind and heart. The definition of a wall isn't concrete, no pun intended, but it is subjective. To me a non-physical wall creates the opposite of what it is defined to do. It encourages vulnerability and dependency on an object or feeling which consequently leads no where. Whereas, a physical wall could be required and useful depending on the circumstances such as dams but in cases such as the Berlin wall it is detrimental. Therefore, I feel like there is no solid answer to this weeks blog. Physical or non-physical both have an important role in our lives which we can either choose to keep or let go.
For many years walls have been an issue and to be honest we do not know the correct answer when it comes to respond to it. Why do we have walls? Do they protect us from danger? I have been asking these questions myself for years. I came to the conclusion that, walls are only walls that people invented to claim territory and to prevent foreigners to come or invade theirs. I think that physical walls are no harm for individuals because it is there, we can see it but nothing else. On the other hand, non-physical walls are the ones that cause harm to us because it deals with people’s feelings and so on. Non-physical walls are barriers that each individual deals with mostly every day. For example, we have heard how immigration is becoming more than an issue to the United States than ever before. This shows us that people who are protesting are that ones who feel the pain of the non-physical wall. Physical walls are nothing but a wall. Non-physical walls are our feelings. Another scenario could be the language many do not know the English language, and that can be a wall of impediment for many. Unfortunately, I think that these walls physical and non-physical will remain with us for the rest of our lives. It is a law that was created years ago and today we have to learn how to live with it. Walls are around the globe. In my opinion, walls are not important at all. Both walls are insignificant, is just that we make them part of us mostly because of political issues. We as human beings should consider to live our lives peacefully with one another.
Hilario, Well said. Some of us run into these non-physical walls and become discouraged. I like how you consider them insignificant. The walls between countries are political! I believe individuals from different countries can get along and make healthy communities. Historical politics and current powers have created these walls that they continue to enforce.
I agree with your statement about how non-physical walls are our feelings. I think its non-physical walls that are preventing us as a generation from succeeding and changing.
To me, a wall's main purpose is for division. It is usually made by something physical like stone, wood, or metal. I think we as humans, give walls more purpose. We give walls the job to provide us security and privacy from the outside world. When a wall is built, it is built for division. After division is established, there are two places: inside and outside. When you are outside, you are exposed to danger. Once you're inside the wall, you are protected and safe. In contrast, non-physical walls aren't something that we build with concrete supplies. We create these walls to divide us from what we want to keep out of our minds and hearts. It's as though we put our hearts into a room built with adamantium walls. We built these "walls" to protect us from harm, or to hold maximum privacy of secrets we may have. I think that non-physical walls are more important to the humanity race. I feel that these walls can be very indestructible. People use these walls to divide them from other races, genders, sexualities, etc. They never let them inside and perceive whatever is outside the walls as invaders or of danger. Physical walls can come tumbling down. However, it would take more effort than Miley Cyrus on a wrecking ball to break down non-physical walls.
I love your sense of humor Beau! You are right, it really does take more than Miley on her wrecking ball to break down the non-physical walls. I agree when you say humans give walls more purpose because we afraid of what we are not used to and so we create physical and non-physical walls to block us.
Not sure what you mean by Miley Cyrus on a wrecking ball, but I do agree that non-physical walls are harder to destroy. I believe that once someone manages to break one of these walls the easier it can be to break down even more. Physical walls are easier to rebuild, but I would say that non-physical ones may be more difficult to rebuild.
I'm going to be honest, I had to google what adamantium was. I definitely like the reference and agree that we do build seemingly indestructible walls that keep us from showing what we really feel. But maybe walls were built to be broken by people who come in like a wreaking ball into our lives.
Walls are very important in life. Physical walls can be used to protect and prevent contact. For example, in some cases walls prevent children from walking out in front of traffic, or prevent them from falling in an unattended pool. In other cases, walls prevent potential terrorists and illegal immigrants from entering other countries like North and South Korea, or United States and Mexico. These walls are easy to interpret, and not much knowledge is needed to understand what side of the wall you should be on. Physical walls are weak because people always find ways to penetrate them. The most powerful walls are the non-physical ones. People are often caught off guard when they run into a non-physical wall. These walls can be made from socioeconomic status, academic status, and many other forms. Non-physical walls can often be found in places of employment. This usually happens when person is new to a company. That person may try to sit and have lunch with the manager that hired them, and then notice they never join them for lunch or even associate with them after work. Often these walls are impenetrable unless he or she climbs the employment totem pole. Then, and only then is when the employee status wall is removed. This is why company employee social groups are often defined by their positions or income earned. Non-physical walls can also be found when a student starts to become comfortable with a professor. The student may admire the professor’s values, and or the stories they tell. The student may start to think they are well aligned with this person. The student then may start to get comfortable enough to call him or her by the first name not knowing there is a wall before them. This is when some professors’ set the boundaries. They are not friends, the student is a customer, and the professor insists on his or her proper title, Dr. Professor, for example. This is perfectly understandable from the professor’s side, because it could become a conflict of interest. There could also be strict University policies that prohibit any form of association. Either way, there is a non-physical wall that exists that is impenetrable compared to a physical wall that can be circumvented. This is why non-physical walls are more powerful than physical walls.
The sentence where you wrote that physical walls can be circumvented was really great. I did not think of it in that way but yes that is how non-physical walls are so powerful. Though some physical walls are difficult to actually get around (i.e. jail cells), it is still possible to do so.
HI Azael, You gave some really great examples. I liked the one about the professional world because I have found that to be true. You are a through writer. Good job. I also agree with you about non-physical walls being stronger than non-physical.
Walls in our world be it physical or non-physical are important because of what they symbolize. They symbolize security and peace of mind. Of course, just saying security and peace of mind doesn't really say much but in our society it's really needed. Without physical walls you will have chaos because then any one can enter a place they were not supposed to. Walls are meant to keep the person inside say from outside threats, such as wild creatures but it can also keep a person from trying to enter a hazardous place that could be dangerous for him/her. As for walls internally I believe these walls are more important than physical walls because without these people with problems can either have mental break downs or go insane. When I say problems it can range from a lot things such as building up mental walls to cover up a traumatic event in their early life such as: rape, death in the family, or even PTSD. Walls of the non-physical nature can also be built up to suppress one's problems. For instance, I have a friend who takes medication to suppress his feelings because he is bi-polar. I think this is a form of walls just built on medication.
Walls in this society are very important. Every one has their own physical and non-physical boundaries, but they can all be crossed at any point and time. I personally believe that physical walls are stronger than non-physical ones because any one can cross personal boundaries either by the words they say or actions they perform. Walls also provide safety-whether they are physical or not. Physical walls can keep people out or keep people in, but non-physical walls are more complex. Non-physical walls are not present to other individuals besides the one who has placed those boundaries and can easily be crossed if they are unknown to others. Because physical walls are easier to see and they are apparent to every single person, they are less prone to be crossed unless there is a force or absolute need to overcome that specific wall.
Walls are all around us, even when do not even realize it. Physical walls are most apparent since they are built with purposes of separating or protecting. Physical walls have always been a huge part of our history and our current lives; they symbolize shelter, safety, and division. The walls of my house shelter me from the outside and separate me from my neighbors` houses. The Great Wall of China was built in order to keep out invaders who threatened China`s safety. The walls of the concentration camps in Germany divided the Jews from the rest of the world. Though physical walls make bold statements, non-physical ones force us to create powerful movements in history and see what it is like on the other side for a change. In my eyes, non-physical walls represent segregation, insecurities, and fear, among many others. Though we would like to believe that racial issues are in the past, the truth is that they are still all around us today. Whether they be in forms of jokes or not, that wall that separates one race from another will always be there. The wall of insecurity is a battle that any normal person faces. Imagine a woman who is constantly insecure about her body, no matter how much weight she loses. She cannot let herself show her true self because she keeps hiding behind her baggy clothes. The wall of fear hinders us from taking chances in life and stops us from discovering new and exciting things. When a people put up walls on love, they could potentially miss out on their perfect match. It is not good to fence out our feelings, even if there is a risk of getting hurt. Learning from mistakes is what allows us to grow. Non-physical walls are such a strong presence in the lives of many; their powerful influence can either make or break us and that is why they conquer what physical walls symbolize.
When I think of walls I think of all the many walls we are faced with; for example, there are metaphoric walls, cyber walls, fire wall, bedroom walls, kitchen walls, housing walls, apartment walls, mental walls, physical walls, spiritual walls, political walls, relationship walls… etc. These are just a few of the many walls that we are faced with every day. Although there comes a point in our lives that we are standing in front of these walls, there is some importance to the matter of putting up walls, but we mustn’t feel discouraged or overwhelmed; however, as powerful as these walls may be, we must always understand that a wall is only as strong as we perceive it to be. I truly believe that for every wall there is a door or a window to the other side. Why put up walls? Walls are, what I believe, the metaphysical understanding of one’s self-awareness; the sense of security, or purity of ones wellbeing is what matters most. The key factor driving the construction of these walls is – fear. The power behind this little word is massive! How can this four letter word be so powerful? Well, I can tell you of another four letter word that is just as powerful: love. His really isn’t a wall though; it’s more of a window, or door to see past fear. These are the two walls that we truly are faced with and hold each other accountable for. These two words are the foundation to many walls: boarders; security systems; mental blocks; hate; seclusion; segregation; separation; darkness; trust; truth; warmth; shelter; belief; understanding; and knowing the differences. I believe that the non-physical walls or windows are the ideas to build the physical ones; although, some of the physical walls are assumed.
Hello Steve, I agree with you. There are so many different forms of walls that are all around us. I never really gave walls much thought until now and it is crazy how many different barriers that we face on a daily basis.
Walls can be important by keeping dangerous people out of mainstream society and protecting nations from countries seeking to harm them, however physicals walls can also serve as a false sense of security. I'm reminded of my sister, who heard information from a "reliable" source that a rapist had struck in her neighborhood. My sister went into panic mode, paid 500 dollars, which she could not afford, to have a security door installed and made sure her alarms were set every day. She then began to think of other safety measures and after she realized she could not afford more security, she realized no amount of doors, chains or bars could truly keep her and her family free from danger. Physicals walls, whether they exist throughout the world or in our back yards, are important to individuals because they provide a barrier between themselves and the outside world. And although those walls may build strong, they can still be demolished. Non-physicals walls however, cannot be torn down easily and therefore hold more power than physical ones. For example, I don't anticipate on becoming a member of the upper class during my lifetime because of such walls. Rags to Riches stories are extremely rare and although I do believe in hard work, the imaginary walls have already been established between the underclass, poor, working class, middle class and the upper-class. That’s not to say one cannot move up in class; however the promotion is usually slight. The rich and or powerful have created this system and maintain it well.
Walls are very important because it provides and gives people security and privacy. Walls prevent bad people from entering into places where they are not meant to go. Walls also helps separate people from the outside world. Without walls nobody would have any privacy and I'm sure the world would be a lot more dangerous than it already is. I think that walls that are physical are less powerful than the non-physical walls. Every thing that is physical has the capability to be destroyed. Something that is non-physical will be way more difficult to destroy and bring down than the physical walls. People establish non-physical walls everyday. There can be different types of non-physical walls for example some people have non-physical walls built up around them and they don't let people in. There are also walls or boundaries that are present for example in the workplace. These types of walls are harder to get over and they are most likely to prevent people from advancing forward in life. Not only do they prevent people from succeeding but they also intimidate people. Physical walls will never be as much of a threat as non-physical walls. Its those non-physical walls that we as a generation should try breaking down.
I like your example or quote that says "everything that is physical has the capability to be destroyed." I like it and I agree. Physical walls can be destroyed but not the non-physical and those are the worst in society.
When I think of walls many things come to my mind. One of ways I think of walls is that people have their own privacy. They help keep your items safe when you gone from our home. Walls are like a structure which is rules that one must follow. The walls can separate you from other countries. The walls can put up boundaries in ones house or town. The more powerful wall would be physical because it creates privacy. Privacy is important to have in our world. Without piracy there would be no space to do what they what. If we no walls we wouldn’t be able to keep our things safe. Everybody would be in our space and see what is going on. Walls would create a since of rules to follow without the wall there would rules. Rules are important to follow because it gives structure. I can’t see living without walls the world would be different. The walls give one another a change to have time to their self. Time to your self is important because it is the time one finds them. Some people wish they had walls because they don’t like to be watched all the time. Therefore, the physical wall is more important because it creates rules and privacy. Without walls many things would not be run they do today. People would different on how they live and chose what they want to do. Some people would not buy the center things if we didn’t have walls. Walls are supposed to protect us.
I would say that walls are crucial for our survival in this world. Physical walls are great at protecting us from the environment, like the heat and cold, and they also serve to protect us from other people, assuming that they are not strong enough to smash through the walls. They also provide us with privacy and a place to sleep. Then there’s the non-physical walls, which I prefer to set up. These types of walls, for me at least, are great at protecting you from emotional and psychological dangers that other people can do to you. I prefer non-physical walls, but both types are equally important. Both types are meant to help protect you from the world. Like I said, I prefer non-physical walls because they protect you from emotional and psychological dangers. Without these types of walls, or even having a sort of door, people will know your weaknesses. From what I have learned in my 25 years of being on this planet, people will take this knowledge and use it against you. That is why I have taken time reinforcing these walls to prevent any weakness of mine from being exposed. Because of this I don’t let strangers in my life, but there are those rare exceptions where I will make a friend or two. In these cases I still keep up a lot of walls just in case they decide to turn against me, they will have virtually nothing they can use against me. People might see this as paranoia or somewhat psychopathic, but I see it as protecting myself.
I totally agree with you and also feel strongly about letting others in because they then could see our weaknesses and that's something I'm totally against. I also agree with you because people do end up taking advantage of you from simply showing weakness.
That’s an excellent question, I have never gave it much thought before. Walls are only as important as the ones who put them up to be, for they can be either good or bad. Physical walls are extremely important in our world, because it is what brings us the sense of security. Feeling safe and secure inside our homes, is what makes walls important in our world. Especially, since we pay others to provide us with these physical walls, so our families and ourselves can be safe from danger. Non-physical walls are also important in our world, because there are the ones that guide us through life. These may also be considered the obstacles in life, where it separates the strong from the weak. I would personally think, that non-physical walls can be more powerful than physical ones, because the mental ones are placed in our individual life's and only one self can get through them. Unlike physical walls, because although you must have a key to get through, it doesn't seem to stop certain crazy individuals; which then leads us to deal with criminals.
I agree with your comment that non-physical walls are more powerful considering that it can contribute to people displaying apathy or the ability to not feel anything for others or themselves.
Walls both physical and non-physical are important in our world. Physical walls are necessary to society because we live in a world of separation. Everything in our life is separated our rooms, houses, buildings and so on. Without physical walls we would not have the privacy that our homes allow us to have. They keep us safe from the outside environment and unwanted predators. For example, walls provide safety by segregating the criminals in our society by placing them in prison. Non-physical walls are also important because they help us understand our limits and keep us mentally balanced. These walls provide a psyche barrier by limiting our free will through emotional reactions. For instance, if we put our hand in a fire we know to react and to pull it out because our brain is telling us that it is causing us pain. I would say that the non-physical walls are more powerful because a physical wall can be easily broken down and destroyed, but a non-physical wall cannot.
I agree that walls are set up to keep us safe and keep things out. I also think that they are put up to have people to act a certain way and not out of the norm too.
Walls, physical and mental, are used to keep things in as well as to keep other things out. It all depends on the form of use. Physical walls always have a design flaw in that there is always a weak spot or a way to get around it such as climbing over, going under, traveling around, or flat out blowing the darned things up. The decay over time and have to be rebuilt which makes it cost and time expensive. They're a sign of fear and power because one of the greatest urges that people have is to go into areas that are deemed off-limits. Mental walls serve as a form of protection from other people. Guarding ones emotions can be difficult, but its almost impossible to keep them completely safe without letting people in. The only way for a mental wall to be effective is to keep it up and thus make it impossible to have any true relationships in life. Becoming secluded in order to protect yourself is just as damaging as if you had let people into your life and gotten emotionally hurt. Over time you become exhausted and frustrated which leads you to lash out at others either intentionally or unintentionally. Being apathetic is no way to live. I believe that physical walls are more powerful because they pose less damage to those who use them. Unless of course, there is an earthquake.
I think you brought up a very important thought that walls do fall that they are not permenant fixers. Whether it is weather and old age that break down the wall or people breaking it down themselves.
I disagree. If you let people into your life and find out your weakness, they will use it against you, assuming they are that kind of person. Personally, I prefer not to let anyone in and I am okay with that. I live a normal life, while others think it's boring or lame.
When I read the topic for this week’s discussion when I read the world “walls” the first thing that make to mind was laws. To think of way that our whole society is set up through laws. That even though you may not agree with certain laws, you have no choice to follow them because if you do not follow these laws then there are people who can enforce them. There are ways to help shape these laws such as voting but there are many times when the law goes in a way you did not want it to. When I thought about this topic more I realized there are also emotional walls. I would consider these walls to be more of what is expected of you. One person who can set these emotional walls could be your parents. Your parents may expect you to go to school every day, to get good grades, to not talk back, and to be polite. But they do not want you to drop out of school, get pregnant before your married, or to do drugs. These are the walls that they are setting up around you and the way they enforce them would be in an emotional state. They may kick you out of the house or may not talk to you or they may even disown you. Our lives are set up by many different types of walls of things that are expected of us and are enforced either in physical or emotional matters.
Hello Dominique, I didn't consider laws when I was writing my comments about this weeks posting. Walls are all around us in many different forms. They can be both positive and negative. This was an interesting topic to write about because it made me really think about what walls really meant.
Walls both physical and non-physical ones are important in a few ways. Walls help us to divide many different things in our lives. From protecting the our borders to giving us privacy in our homes physical walls play a huge role in our lives. Walls in many ways are of great importance because they give us a sense of security and help to provide privacy that we all need at times. On the other hand physical walls can also be very limiting and can oppress people that may want to be on the other side of a wall. Walls can be demoralizing because they are a constant reminder where you can and cant be. I think about the southern border of the U.S. and all the people that would give anything just to be in the northern side of that wall or fence. That wall or border to many is a constant reminder of a better life for many and their families. Non-physical walls seem to be more limiting and are more powerful in my opinion because a wall is something physical and a non-physical wall is in the mind. Sometimes overcoming barriers that we set for ourselves can prove to be harder to overcome. A physical wall can be crossed but sometimes walls that are in our mind takes more effort in some cases. I know in my own life I have built walls that seem to never stop growing and I know that it is going to take a lot of work to finally get over them. This is why I think that non-physical walls are more powerful than physical walls.
I love that you wrote about the negative side to walls, because while I was writing I did not think about walls in a negative way. I think that recognizing that you have built up these non-physical barriers in your mind is the first step to overcoming them, which I am sure with time and effort, you will.
I enjoyed reading your interpretation of the importance of walls. It is easy to overlook how much our society relies on walls until we really start to think about everything that they do for us.
Walls can be important because they can be helpful to some, but can also negatively inhibit others in their life. Physical walls can protect people. For example, every country has a border wall which establishes their sovereignty. Furthermore, the border of every country might not have physical walls like the United States has, but every country knows where their border begins and ends. The United States has built walls and continues to build physical walls to protect Americans and to stop Immigrants from other countries from coming into the United States. I believe non-physical walls are more powerful because non-physical walls are everywhere and they inhibit more people than physical walls. For example, when my parents immigrated to the United States they had lots of non-physical walls because they were in a foreign country and they didn’t speak English. Another non-physical wall they encountered was racism. However, my parents have broken many of those non-physical walls because they have learned English and have gentrified into society.
That is really great that your parents were able to overcome a lot of the non-physical walls of racism. I hate that they had to deal with it in the first place.
I like the point that you made about non-physical walls and how your parents were able to relate. It is great that they were able to overcome the non-physical walls they faced by learning English. I can't imagine going to another country, not knowing anyone, and not being able to speak the language. That would be a very difficult wall to face and them overcoming it is a great accomplishment for both, your parents and family.
I think walls are very important in our world. Physical walls provide us with a sense of security and privacy. It also allows us some separation and distance from other people and things in the world. It is healthy to have walls and separation from other’s to help keep us sane. I believe that non-physical walls are way more powerful and important. Physical walls are more easily broken down than non-physical walls. As a society, we tend to build non-physical walls around us, separating us into different factions of standards and means. Individual, we build emotional walls between the people in our lives and ourselves. When things become too hard to deal with, we can compartmentalize and put up these non-physical walls to help deal with uncomfortable situations more easily and possible, more effectively. Having both physical, and non-physical walls and barriers is what keeps us human and a functioning sophisticated society.
This is a really hard question to answer because it has to do with a lot of boundaries most of us don’t really think about in our daily lives. My father and mother came from Mexico wanting a better life for themselves. But they had something that stood in there way, which was a physical wall placed there by the United States of American. Boundaries have been something that have been passed down throughout the years, from Rome to Greek and so on. We have learned to live with them like they are the right way to live. I sometimes think to myself that physical walls can be a good thing, like when people that do crimes from Mexico and have to cross the border so they don’t get caught. It’s good to keep our society safe from people that are here for no good reason but what about people who are just looking for a better life. Want to better their way of living and their own kids life. So they are willing to risk going to jail just to get it. I think that the most powerful kind of barrier is the nonphysical one for the reason that you can over come a wall or anything that is put there. But when it comes to a non-physical barrier is hard because it’s hard to change a person’s mind state. It has to do with the race of people. Like when an African or Asian or any immigrant race is hated by an individual of a different race.
I believe walls are important to an extent. When you need to shield yourself mentally from something that can really traumatize you, then this would make walls useful. On an everyday basis it can harm you mentally. At times I believe mental walls can be stronger than physical ones. A mental wall or mental will can be what makes or breaks a person. Just like peer pressure; if your will or wall of values can hold up against peer pressure then this can be the strongest wall ever. Each person is different though. There can be week people with week mental walls, who need physical walls to shield them from the reality they live in or the reality they see. This always makes me think of an insane asylum. People who occupy those walls have week mental walls, in my opinion.
I would have to say that mental walls are stronger than physical ones. This is because mental walls are harder to overcome than physical walls. When something is harder to face or is the more challenging task; the outcome is usually for the better, so stronger. There is also more to learn from mental walls compared to physical walls. These mental walls teach you more about yourself and help to change you as a person, or shape you. So mental walls seem to have a more interesting outcome compared to a wall that can be constructed and broken down. It is a lot harder to break through mental walls.
There are times where I feel like walls can be very dangerous, but there are times where I feel like walls are very important in peoples lives. The reason why I feel walls can be very unhealthy for human beings is having walls up can actually win many relationships in life. The reason for that is if you are so bottled up and not open to tell people more about yourself, you won't be able to build a strong relationship with someone. I know there were times where overtime you have been hurt and hurt and have built up a very strong wall to people that have hurt you, but there is a time that we need to let go of our walls and learn to trust again. When you were closed up and and you don't let anyone in, it's very difficult to move on with life not afraid of anything. When you build up walls you're more likely afraid of something that happened in the past that you're not ready to let go. I feel like that is a very unhealthy wall that you should not bring up in your life. But I do feel like physical walls are more powerful than the nonphysical walls. The reason for that is because a physical wall can be made out of brick, can be made out of metal, can be made out of something very strong. There are times where if a wall is strong enough you cannot penetrate it. If you are just putting up a wall non-physical those can be easily broken.
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ReplyDeleteThis question made me think of the book we are reading. In “Tortilla Curtain” a wall is put up to make the community feel safe. It is there to keep violence at bay. Specifically, they are scared of the rising number of immigrants from Mexico. This wall is the physical barrier that makes a strong statement. However, this does not keep the fire or Candido from breaching inside. On the other hand, non-physical barriers have no limits. These non-physical barriers are abstract and have the potential for real destruction. To exist, non-physical barriers require people to believe and enforce certain ideals so that a barrier can thrive. For example, racism. The main reason Candido is struggling to survive in America, is because, metaphorically, he does not belong to the land he is inhabiting. In the book, the community come together and dehumanize Candido and other immigrants. They do not recognize his struggle and deprive him of opportunities. Prejudice, hate and fear are the driving forces creating this boundary. This is crippling Delany. He has overcome, the physical barrier of entering the country, but he will not survive because of an abstract-boundary.
ReplyDeleteOut of survival, Candido cannot afford to think less of himself. This non-physical boundary can be amplified and strengthened if he started to believe that he was less of a human being. Race is not the only non-physical barrier that exists, but history has shown us how harmful it can be.
I really enjoyed reading your response. It seems well thought out and made great ties to our novel. I totally agree with your response. "He has overcome... " was a great sentence. I could not have said it better.
DeleteRacism is, perhaps one of the most powerful non-physical wall that continues to exist in the 21st century. There are individuals who subscribe to the idea, we now live in a colorblind society because the first black president was elected. These assumption should be carefully examined and not misconstrued. I haven't got to far into the book but your illustration defiantly kept my attention.
DeleteThis week's topic really made me think. To determine the significance of walls in our world, we must evaluate what walls are. I imagined a world without boundaries. A world without rules or structure . Whether discussing physical or non physical walls, both are significant to our society. Both provide structure and order within our society.
ReplyDeleteI personally believe that non physical walls are more important than physical ones because of what non physical walls stand for. Non physical walls can be personal boundaries or social obstacles, etc. There boundaries vary, depending on the individual. They can be psychological and be very powerful. A person's ability to overcome these obstacles or set these non physical barriers for themselves, shows a certain strength that can be admired by others. Facing and conquering life's challenges can make an individual a better, wiser person.
Although I believe that non physical walls are important, I do not want to discredit physical walls. Physical walls provide a sense of privacy. I could only imagine living in a home with no walls. I am pretty sure it would be terrible. Physical walls can also provide a sense of security. They serve the purpose of keeping things in and out.
I totally agree with your assessment with walls. In my opinion walls also make us civil and learn to respect other people's privacy.
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ReplyDeleteWalls are important in life and in the world. They provide safety and protections. Walls separate rooms and places in order to maintain privacy and isolation. In the book “Tortilla Curtain” we can see that walls play a major role in this book. We can see that the word “border” is mentioned and also the word “gate”. Cándido is from another country, México and that the he is from the other side of the border, another wall in which he belongs but not here in the USA. Delaney wants to place a gate in his neighborhood and yet again, another “wall” is mentioned. Walls in this book show us how people place barriers to keep away from each other, whether is race of social class, walls are meant to show barriers. Physical walls are far worse than metaphorical walls because they show physically how one person is trying to keep away from the other. Just like in the book, gating communities are meant to protect those of higher class and let the inferior social class that they need to keep away and do not trespass because there is a difference between the two. Cándido has both “walls” against him: physical and non-physical. He has a physical “wall” which is the gate and the boarder of the USA. The non-physical wall he has against him is that he is in another country, a country in which he doesn’t know the language and this is a barrier or a wall for him. Now that Cándido is in the USA, the issue that he will have many obstacles and “walls” to overcome.
ReplyDeleteI believe that both types of walls are extremely powerful, but I think history has showed us that physical walls have been the easier of the two to break down. In 1961, the Berlin wall was erected to separate the east and west sides of Berlin with the intentions of keeping the fascist interests of the west from entering the east. West Berlin often referred to the barrier as the “wall of shame” and would constantly condemn the wall and those behind it, accusing both with restriction on freedom of movement from one part of the country to another. The madness lasted over 25 years, bringing along with it hundreds of injuries and deaths in attempts to flee from one side to the other. This wall was eventually defeated, and the country is now unified. However, there are many other nonphysical walls which have stood the test of time for centuries. It’s no secret that racism is still an issue in the world today, and is being seen on more levels than people may be aware of. Just this past summer USC lost one of their backup running backs as senior Anthony Brown quit after accusing head coach Steve Sarkisian of making racist comments towards the player. Earlier this year, FC Barcelona and Brazilian star Dani Alves was racially taunted by fans as a banana was thrown at him from the stands. These are just a couple of small examples of the issue still existing today. Religion is another root of nonphysical walls that have been standing for as long as we can remember. How many wars have been fought over simple beliefs? How much fighting is still going on over this topic? It’s not as easy to take a wrecking ball to someone’s mind as it is to a concrete barrier.
ReplyDeleteI should have read your post before writing mine. I wrote something very similar! I promise I wrote it before reading yours, ha. Any who, I agree with what you wrote about racism being a wall that is hard to break down. Your post is very well written too. I like that you used examples from two of my favorite sports teams.
DeleteAnthony,
DeleteI also agree with your statement. Non-physical walls have affected the entire world’s civilization from its foundation. Even today within our society there are stigmas over things like interracial marriage. Children from different races or religion are often directed, by parents’ beliefs, which they should wed. These non-physical barriers are impossible to knock down.
I agree, in history physical walls have been easier to break down. Using a bull dozer or wrecking ball could destroy a wall in no time at all but non physical walls seem like they take forever to destroy.
DeleteRegarding you last sentence, I couldn't agree more. Once individuals are socialized to believe or follow a certain ideology, change is almost impossible. Being a sociology major, I often try to challenge friends and family to see things differently. Unfortunately, I am almost always unsuccessful.
DeleteHI Anthony,
DeleteThis The Berlin wall and iron curtain were also some examples that popped into my head. Are you a history major? If not, you are well educated in the realm of history.
Thanks for the feedback everyone! Rachel, I'm actually a PEAK major studying nutrition, but I've always love history, I certainly contemplated being a History or Literature major in my earlier years here at CSUB.
DeleteI like your reference about physical walls being easier to break down with a wrecking ball but not non-physical walls being more sturdier. I totally agree with your opinion.
DeleteI like your reference on racism still going on today, even in a soccer game. I also like your input on how through history there have been physical wall built in order to show segregation. The Berlin Wall was a great example on how the Germans showed segregation with a literal wall. Good job.
DeleteI do think the Berlin Wall was extremely important in history. Walls are very powerful if we like it or not. That is something we are going to have to live with.
DeleteGreat response. I like how you tied in history and current events with your view on physical and non-physical walls. I can see why you also may think religion is a barrier between humans, especially with the religious wars going on. However, I also think it encourages people to come together for one belief, which is not that simple as you put it. Well to each there own!
DeleteA wall is defined as a barrier to protect and lend privacy. Whether physical or non-physical walls are built to create a sense of security in a persons life. In saying this, walls have become a significant part in our existence. History has taught us that a physical wall can divide countries, ravage towns, and kill humans. However, it has also showed us that whether its a graffiti artist or two lovers on opposite ends of the Berlin wall, artistic and human freedom have overcome all walls. In order to overcome walls, physical or non-physical, it takes a change of mind and heart. The definition of a wall isn't concrete, no pun intended, but it is subjective. To me a non-physical wall creates the opposite of what it is defined to do. It encourages vulnerability and dependency on an object or feeling which consequently leads no where. Whereas, a physical wall could be required and useful depending on the circumstances such as dams but in cases such as the Berlin wall it is detrimental. Therefore, I feel like there is no solid answer to this weeks blog. Physical or non-physical both have an important role in our lives which we can either choose to keep or let go.
ReplyDeleteI think you are right about both physical and non-physical walls because everyone has different points of view.
DeleteI do think that physical walls and non-physical walls are powerful and important. Just sometimes it is hard to decide which one is the most powerful.
DeleteFor many years walls have been an issue and to be honest we do not know the correct answer when it comes to respond to it. Why do we have walls? Do they protect us from danger? I have been asking these questions myself for years. I came to the conclusion that, walls are only walls that people invented to claim territory and to prevent foreigners to come or invade theirs. I think that physical walls are no harm for individuals because it is there, we can see it but nothing else. On the other hand, non-physical walls are the ones that cause harm to us because it deals with people’s feelings and so on. Non-physical walls are barriers that each individual deals with mostly every day. For example, we have heard how immigration is becoming more than an issue to the United States than ever before. This shows us that people who are protesting are that ones who feel the pain of the non-physical wall. Physical walls are nothing but a wall. Non-physical walls are our feelings. Another scenario could be the language many do not know the English language, and that can be a wall of impediment for many. Unfortunately, I think that these walls physical and non-physical will remain with us for the rest of our lives. It is a law that was created years ago and today we have to learn how to live with it. Walls are around the globe. In my opinion, walls are not important at all. Both walls are insignificant, is just that we make them part of us mostly because of political issues. We as human beings should consider to live our lives peacefully with one another.
ReplyDeleteHilario,
DeleteWell said. Some of us run into these non-physical walls and become discouraged. I like how you consider them insignificant. The walls between countries are political! I believe individuals from different countries can get along and make healthy communities. Historical politics and current powers have created these walls that they continue to enforce.
I agree with your statement about how non-physical walls are our feelings. I think its non-physical walls that are preventing us as a generation from succeeding and changing.
DeleteTo me, a wall's main purpose is for division. It is usually made by something physical like stone, wood, or metal. I think we as humans, give walls more purpose. We give walls the job to provide us security and privacy from the outside world. When a wall is built, it is built for division. After division is established, there are two places: inside and outside. When you are outside, you are exposed to danger. Once you're inside the wall, you are protected and safe. In contrast, non-physical walls aren't something that we build with concrete supplies. We create these walls to divide us from what we want to keep out of our minds and hearts. It's as though we put our hearts into a room built with adamantium walls. We built these "walls" to protect us from harm, or to hold maximum privacy of secrets we may have. I think that non-physical walls are more important to the humanity race. I feel that these walls can be very indestructible. People use these walls to divide them from other races, genders, sexualities, etc. They never let them inside and perceive whatever is outside the walls as invaders or of danger. Physical walls can come tumbling down. However, it would take more effort than Miley Cyrus on a wrecking ball to break down non-physical walls.
ReplyDeleteI love your sense of humor Beau! You are right, it really does take more than Miley on her wrecking ball to break down the non-physical walls. I agree when you say humans give walls more purpose because we afraid of what we are not used to and so we create physical and non-physical walls to block us.
DeleteNot sure what you mean by Miley Cyrus on a wrecking ball, but I do agree that non-physical walls are harder to destroy. I believe that once someone manages to break one of these walls the easier it can be to break down even more. Physical walls are easier to rebuild, but I would say that non-physical ones may be more difficult to rebuild.
DeleteThanks Jacky! I'm glad you got the joke. I just had to add that when I thought of a wrecking ball. Thanks for the response.
DeleteLuis, it was a reference to a music video. Just threw in a little humor.
I'm going to be honest, I had to google what adamantium was. I definitely like the reference and agree that we do build seemingly indestructible walls that keep us from showing what we really feel. But maybe walls were built to be broken by people who come in like a wreaking ball into our lives.
DeleteWalls are very important in life. Physical walls can be used to protect and prevent contact. For example, in some cases walls prevent children from walking out in front of traffic, or prevent them from falling in an unattended pool. In other cases, walls prevent potential terrorists and illegal immigrants from entering other countries like North and South Korea, or United States and Mexico. These walls are easy to interpret, and not much knowledge is needed to understand what side of the wall you should be on. Physical walls are weak because people always find ways to penetrate them.
ReplyDeleteThe most powerful walls are the non-physical ones. People are often caught off guard when they run into a non-physical wall. These walls can be made from socioeconomic status, academic status, and many other forms. Non-physical walls can often be found in places of employment. This usually happens when person is new to a company. That person may try to sit and have lunch with the manager that hired them, and then notice they never join them for lunch or even associate with them after work. Often these walls are impenetrable unless he or she climbs the employment totem pole. Then, and only then is when the employee status wall is removed. This is why company employee social groups are often defined by their positions or income earned.
Non-physical walls can also be found when a student starts to become comfortable with a professor. The student may admire the professor’s values, and or the stories they tell. The student may start to think they are well aligned with this person. The student then may start to get comfortable enough to call him or her by the first name not knowing there is a wall before them. This is when some professors’ set the boundaries. They are not friends, the student is a customer, and the professor insists on his or her proper title, Dr. Professor, for example. This is perfectly understandable from the professor’s side, because it could become a conflict of interest. There could also be strict University policies that prohibit any form of association. Either way, there is a non-physical wall that exists that is impenetrable compared to a physical wall that can be circumvented. This is why non-physical walls are more powerful than physical walls.
The sentence where you wrote that physical walls can be circumvented was really great. I did not think of it in that way but yes that is how non-physical walls are so powerful. Though some physical walls are difficult to actually get around (i.e. jail cells), it is still possible to do so.
DeleteI agree with you as well. Its those non-physical walls that are way more powerful than the physical ones because they are harder to be destroyed.
DeleteHI Azael,
DeleteYou gave some really great examples. I liked the one about the professional world because I have found that to be true. You are a through writer. Good job. I also agree with you about non-physical walls being stronger than non-physical.
I agree with you. it is the non-physical walls that are most powerful for the reason you have to change state of minds.
DeleteWalls in our world be it physical or non-physical are important because of what they symbolize. They symbolize security and peace of mind. Of course, just saying security and peace of mind doesn't really say much but in our society it's really needed. Without physical walls you will have chaos because then any one can enter a place they were not supposed to. Walls are meant to keep the person inside say from outside threats, such as wild creatures but it can also keep a person from trying to enter a hazardous place that could be dangerous for him/her.
ReplyDeleteAs for walls internally I believe these walls are more important than physical walls because without these people with problems can either have mental break downs or go insane. When I say problems it can range from a lot things such as building up mental walls to cover up a traumatic event in their early life such as: rape, death in the family, or even PTSD. Walls of the non-physical nature can also be built up to suppress one's problems. For instance, I have a friend who takes medication to suppress his feelings because he is bi-polar. I think this is a form of walls just built on medication.
I agree, they do symbolize a sense of security. I have never thought about the people and their break downs.
DeleteWalls in this society are very important. Every one has their own physical and non-physical boundaries, but they can all be crossed at any point and time. I personally believe that physical walls are stronger than non-physical ones because any one can cross personal boundaries either by the words they say or actions they perform. Walls also provide safety-whether they are physical or not. Physical walls can keep people out or keep people in, but non-physical walls are more complex. Non-physical walls are not present to other individuals besides the one who has placed those boundaries and can easily be crossed if they are unknown to others. Because physical walls are easier to see and they are apparent to every single person, they are less prone to be crossed unless there is a force or absolute need to overcome that specific wall.
ReplyDeleteWalls are all around us, even when do not even realize it. Physical walls are most apparent since they are built with purposes of separating or protecting. Physical walls have always been a huge part of our history and our current lives; they symbolize shelter, safety, and division. The walls of my house shelter me from the outside and separate me from my neighbors` houses. The Great Wall of China was built in order to keep out invaders who threatened China`s safety. The walls of the concentration camps in Germany divided the Jews from the rest of the world. Though physical walls make bold statements, non-physical ones force us to create powerful movements in history and see what it is like on the other side for a change. In my eyes, non-physical walls represent segregation, insecurities, and fear, among many others. Though we would like to believe that racial issues are in the past, the truth is that they are still all around us today. Whether they be in forms of jokes or not, that wall that separates one race from another will always be there. The wall of insecurity is a battle that any normal person faces. Imagine a woman who is constantly insecure about her body, no matter how much weight she loses. She cannot let herself show her true self because she keeps hiding behind her baggy clothes. The wall of fear hinders us from taking chances in life and stops us from discovering new and exciting things. When a people put up walls on love, they could potentially miss out on their perfect match. It is not good to fence out our feelings, even if there is a risk of getting hurt. Learning from mistakes is what allows us to grow. Non-physical walls are such a strong presence in the lives of many; their powerful influence can either make or break us and that is why they conquer what physical walls symbolize.
ReplyDeleteI agree, the physical walls are important for our safety. I like your examples of the Great Wall of China.
DeleteFor me, non-physical walls represent protection. They protect our emotions and mind. I believe that it's okay to bottle up feelings.
DeleteWhen I think of walls I think of all the many walls we are faced with; for example, there are metaphoric walls, cyber walls, fire wall, bedroom walls, kitchen walls, housing walls, apartment walls, mental walls, physical walls, spiritual walls, political walls, relationship walls… etc. These are just a few of the many walls that we are faced with every day. Although there comes a point in our lives that we are standing in front of these walls, there is some importance to the matter of putting up walls, but we mustn’t feel discouraged or overwhelmed; however, as powerful as these walls may be, we must always understand that a wall is only as strong as we perceive it to be. I truly believe that for every wall there is a door or a window to the other side. Why put up walls? Walls are, what I believe, the metaphysical understanding of one’s self-awareness; the sense of security, or purity of ones wellbeing is what matters most. The key factor driving the construction of these walls is – fear. The power behind this little word is massive! How can this four letter word be so powerful? Well, I can tell you of another four letter word that is just as powerful: love. His really isn’t a wall though; it’s more of a window, or door to see past fear. These are the two walls that we truly are faced with and hold each other accountable for. These two words are the foundation to many walls: boarders; security systems; mental blocks; hate; seclusion; segregation; separation; darkness; trust; truth; warmth; shelter; belief; understanding; and knowing the differences. I believe that the non-physical walls or windows are the ideas to build the physical ones; although, some of the physical walls are assumed.
ReplyDeleteHello Steve, I agree with you. There are so many different forms of walls that are all around us. I never really gave walls much thought until now and it is crazy how many different barriers that we face on a daily basis.
DeleteWalls can be important by keeping dangerous people out of mainstream society and protecting nations from countries seeking to harm them, however physicals walls can also serve as a false sense of security. I'm reminded of my sister, who heard information from a "reliable" source that a rapist had struck in her neighborhood. My sister went into panic mode, paid 500 dollars, which she could not afford, to have a security door installed and made sure her alarms were set every day. She then began to think of other safety measures and after she realized she could not afford more security, she realized no amount of doors, chains or bars could truly keep her and her family free from danger.
ReplyDeletePhysicals walls, whether they exist throughout the world or in our back yards, are important to individuals because they provide a barrier between themselves and the outside world. And although those walls may build strong, they can still be demolished. Non-physicals walls however, cannot be torn down easily and therefore hold more power than physical ones. For example, I don't anticipate on becoming a member of the upper class during my lifetime because of such walls. Rags to Riches stories are extremely rare and although I do believe in hard work, the imaginary walls have already been established between the underclass, poor, working class, middle class and the upper-class. That’s not to say one cannot move up in class; however the promotion is usually slight. The rich and or powerful have created this system and maintain it well.
That's a good story I like how you the walls as safety. it is true we do spend money we don't have just to make us feel safe.
DeleteWalls are very important because it provides and gives people security and privacy. Walls prevent bad people from entering into places where they are not meant to go. Walls also helps separate people from the outside world. Without walls nobody would have any privacy and I'm sure the world would be a lot more dangerous than it already is. I think that walls that are physical are less powerful than the non-physical walls. Every thing that is physical has the capability to be destroyed. Something that is non-physical will be way more difficult to destroy and bring down than the physical walls. People establish non-physical walls everyday. There can be different types of non-physical walls for example some people have non-physical walls built up around them and they don't let people in. There are also walls or boundaries that are present for example in the workplace. These types of walls are harder to get over and they are most likely to prevent people from advancing forward in life. Not only do they prevent people from succeeding but they also intimidate people. Physical walls will never be as much of a threat as non-physical walls. Its those non-physical walls that we as a generation should try breaking down.
ReplyDeleteI am exactly like that. I do not let anyone in my life due to the non-physical walls I have built. You can't trust everyone you meet.
DeleteI agree, physical walls give us privacy. You make a good point a non physical walls.
DeleteI like your example or quote that says "everything that is physical has the capability to be destroyed." I like it and I agree. Physical walls can be destroyed but not the non-physical and those are the worst in society.
DeleteWhen I think of walls many things come to my mind. One of ways I think of walls is that people have their own privacy. They help keep your items safe when you gone from our home. Walls are like a structure which is rules that one must follow. The walls can separate you from other countries. The walls can put up boundaries in ones house or town.
ReplyDeleteThe more powerful wall would be physical because it creates privacy. Privacy is important to have in our world. Without piracy there would be no space to do what they what. If we no walls we wouldn’t be able to keep our things safe. Everybody would be in our space and see what is going on. Walls would create a since of rules to follow without the wall there would rules. Rules are important to follow because it gives structure. I can’t see living without walls the world would be different. The walls give one another a change to have time to their self. Time to your self is important because it is the time one finds them. Some people wish they had walls because they don’t like to be watched all the time. Therefore, the physical wall is more important because it creates rules and privacy. Without walls many things would not be run they do today. People would different on how they live and chose what they want to do. Some people would not buy the center things if we didn’t have walls. Walls are supposed to protect us.
I agree with your view of how walls are important because they form a structure in life for us.
DeleteI would say that walls are crucial for our survival in this world. Physical walls are great at protecting us from the environment, like the heat and cold, and they also serve to protect us from other people, assuming that they are not strong enough to smash through the walls. They also provide us with privacy and a place to sleep. Then there’s the non-physical walls, which I prefer to set up. These types of walls, for me at least, are great at protecting you from emotional and psychological dangers that other people can do to you. I prefer non-physical walls, but both types are equally important.
ReplyDeleteBoth types are meant to help protect you from the world. Like I said, I prefer non-physical walls because they protect you from emotional and psychological dangers. Without these types of walls, or even having a sort of door, people will know your weaknesses. From what I have learned in my 25 years of being on this planet, people will take this knowledge and use it against you. That is why I have taken time reinforcing these walls to prevent any weakness of mine from being exposed. Because of this I don’t let strangers in my life, but there are those rare exceptions where I will make a friend or two. In these cases I still keep up a lot of walls just in case they decide to turn against me, they will have virtually nothing they can use against me. People might see this as paranoia or somewhat psychopathic, but I see it as protecting myself.
I totally agree with you and also feel strongly about letting others in because they then could see our weaknesses and that's something I'm totally against. I also agree with you because people do end up taking advantage of you from simply showing weakness.
DeleteI agree, the physical walls protect us from the outside. Both times are important in our world.
DeleteThat’s an excellent question, I have never gave it much thought before. Walls are only as important as the ones who put them up to be, for they can be either good or bad. Physical walls are extremely important in our world, because it is what brings us the sense of security. Feeling safe and secure inside our homes, is what makes walls important in our world. Especially, since we pay others to provide us with these physical walls, so our families and ourselves can be safe from danger. Non-physical walls are also important in our world, because there are the ones that guide us through life. These may also be considered the obstacles in life, where it separates the strong from the weak. I would personally think, that non-physical walls can be more powerful than physical ones, because the mental ones are placed in our individual life's and only one self can get through them. Unlike physical walls, because although you must have a key to get through, it doesn't seem to stop certain crazy individuals; which then leads us to deal with criminals.
ReplyDeleteI agree with your comment that non-physical walls are more powerful considering that it can contribute to people displaying apathy or the ability to not feel anything for others or themselves.
DeleteWalls both physical and non-physical are important in our world. Physical walls are necessary to society because we live in a world of separation. Everything in our life is separated our rooms, houses, buildings and so on. Without physical walls we would not have the privacy that our homes allow us to have. They keep us safe from the outside environment and unwanted predators. For example, walls provide safety by segregating the criminals in our society by placing them in prison. Non-physical walls are also important because they help us understand our limits and keep us mentally balanced. These walls provide a psyche barrier by limiting our free will through emotional reactions. For instance, if we put our hand in a fire we know to react and to pull it out because our brain is telling us that it is causing us pain. I would say that the non-physical walls are more powerful because a physical wall can be easily broken down and destroyed, but a non-physical wall cannot.
ReplyDeleteI agree that any form of a wall promotes separation. We even separate our things by color coding or in containers.
DeleteI agree that walls are set up to keep us safe and keep things out. I also think that they are put up to have people to act a certain way and not out of the norm too.
DeleteI completely a great that non-physical walls are more powerful
DeleteWalls, physical and mental, are used to keep things in as well as to keep other things out. It all depends on the form of use. Physical walls always have a design flaw in that there is always a weak spot or a way to get around it such as climbing over, going under, traveling around, or flat out blowing the darned things up. The decay over time and have to be rebuilt which makes it cost and time expensive. They're a sign of fear and power because one of the greatest urges that people have is to go into areas that are deemed off-limits. Mental walls serve as a form of protection from other people. Guarding ones emotions can be difficult, but its almost impossible to keep them completely safe without letting people in. The only way for a mental wall to be effective is to keep it up and thus make it impossible to have any true relationships in life. Becoming secluded in order to protect yourself is just as damaging as if you had let people into your life and gotten emotionally hurt. Over time you become exhausted and frustrated which leads you to lash out at others either intentionally or unintentionally. Being apathetic is no way to live. I believe that physical walls are more powerful because they pose less damage to those who use them. Unless of course, there is an earthquake.
ReplyDeleteI think you brought up a very important thought that walls do fall that they are not permenant fixers. Whether it is weather and old age that break down the wall or people breaking it down themselves.
DeleteI disagree. If you let people into your life and find out your weakness, they will use it against you, assuming they are that kind of person. Personally, I prefer not to let anyone in and I am okay with that. I live a normal life, while others think it's boring or lame.
DeleteWhen I read the topic for this week’s discussion when I read the world “walls” the first thing that make to mind was laws. To think of way that our whole society is set up through laws. That even though you may not agree with certain laws, you have no choice to follow them because if you do not follow these laws then there are people who can enforce them. There are ways to help shape these laws such as voting but there are many times when the law goes in a way you did not want it to. When I thought about this topic more I realized there are also emotional walls. I would consider these walls to be more of what is expected of you. One person who can set these emotional walls could be your parents. Your parents may expect you to go to school every day, to get good grades, to not talk back, and to be polite. But they do not want you to drop out of school, get pregnant before your married, or to do drugs. These are the walls that they are setting up around you and the way they enforce them would be in an emotional state. They may kick you out of the house or may not talk to you or they may even disown you. Our lives are set up by many different types of walls of things that are expected of us and are enforced either in physical or emotional matters.
ReplyDeleteHello Dominique, I didn't consider laws when I was writing my comments about this weeks posting. Walls are all around us in many different forms. They can be both positive and negative. This was an interesting topic to write about because it made me really think about what walls really meant.
DeleteI didn't think of laws either, when I thought of walls. This is a new perspective, and an interesting one.
DeleteWalls both physical and non-physical ones are important in a few ways. Walls help us to divide many different things in our lives. From protecting the our borders to giving us privacy in our homes physical walls play a huge role in our lives. Walls in many ways are of great importance because they give us a sense of security and help to provide privacy that we all need at times. On the other hand physical walls can also be very limiting and can oppress people that may want to be on the other side of a wall. Walls can be demoralizing because they are a constant reminder where you can and cant be. I think about the southern border of the U.S. and all the people that would give anything just to be in the northern side of that wall or fence. That wall or border to many is a constant reminder of a better life for many and their families. Non-physical walls seem to be more limiting and are more powerful in my opinion because a wall is something physical and a non-physical wall is in the mind. Sometimes overcoming barriers that we set for ourselves can prove to be harder to overcome. A physical wall can be crossed but sometimes walls that are in our mind takes more effort in some cases. I know in my own life I have built walls that seem to never stop growing and I know that it is going to take a lot of work to finally get over them. This is why I think that non-physical walls are more powerful than physical walls.
ReplyDeleteI love that you wrote about the negative side to walls, because while I was writing I did not think about walls in a negative way. I think that recognizing that you have built up these non-physical barriers in your mind is the first step to overcoming them, which I am sure with time and effort, you will.
DeleteI enjoyed reading your interpretation of the importance of walls. It is easy to overlook how much our society relies on walls until we really start to think about everything that they do for us.
DeleteWalls can be important because they can be helpful to some, but can also negatively inhibit others in their life. Physical walls can protect people. For example, every country has a border wall which establishes their sovereignty. Furthermore, the border of every country might not have physical walls like the United States has, but every country knows where their border begins and ends. The United States has built walls and continues to build physical walls to protect Americans and to stop Immigrants from other countries from coming into the United States. I believe non-physical walls are more powerful because non-physical walls are everywhere and they inhibit more people than physical walls. For example, when my parents immigrated to the United States they had lots of non-physical walls because they were in a foreign country and they didn’t speak English. Another non-physical wall they encountered was racism. However, my parents have broken many of those non-physical walls because they have learned English and have gentrified into society.
ReplyDeleteThat is really great that your parents were able to overcome a lot of the non-physical walls of racism. I hate that they had to deal with it in the first place.
DeleteI like the point that you made about non-physical walls and how your parents were able to relate. It is great that they were able to overcome the non-physical walls they faced by learning English. I can't imagine going to another country, not knowing anyone, and not being able to speak the language. That would be a very difficult wall to face and them overcoming it is a great accomplishment for both, your parents and family.
DeleteI think walls are very important in our world. Physical walls provide us with a sense of security and privacy. It also allows us some separation and distance from other people and things in the world. It is healthy to have walls and separation from other’s to help keep us sane. I believe that non-physical walls are way more powerful and important. Physical walls are more easily broken down than non-physical walls. As a society, we tend to build non-physical walls around us, separating us into different factions of standards and means. Individual, we build emotional walls between the people in our lives and ourselves. When things become too hard to deal with, we can compartmentalize and put up these non-physical walls to help deal with uncomfortable situations more easily and possible, more effectively. Having both physical, and non-physical walls and barriers is what keeps us human and a functioning sophisticated society.
ReplyDeleteThis is a really hard question to answer because it has to do with a lot of boundaries most of us don’t really think about in our daily lives. My father and mother came from Mexico wanting a better life for themselves. But they had something that stood in there way, which was a physical wall placed there by the United States of American. Boundaries have been something that have been passed down throughout the years, from Rome to Greek and so on. We have learned to live with them like they are the right way to live. I sometimes think to myself that physical walls can be a good thing, like when people that do crimes from Mexico and have to cross the border so they don’t get caught. It’s good to keep our society safe from people that are here for no good reason but what about people who are just looking for a better life. Want to better their way of living and their own kids life. So they are willing to risk going to jail just to get it.
ReplyDeleteI think that the most powerful kind of barrier is the nonphysical one for the reason that you can over come a wall or anything that is put there. But when it comes to a non-physical barrier is hard because it’s hard to change a person’s mind state. It has to do with the race of people. Like when an African or Asian or any immigrant race is hated by an individual of a different race.
That is interesting and I didn't think about the walls that kept nations, countries, state, etc. apart.
DeleteI believe walls are important to an extent. When you need to shield yourself mentally from something that can really traumatize you, then this would make walls useful. On an everyday basis it can harm you mentally. At times I believe mental walls can be stronger than physical ones. A mental wall or mental will can be what makes or breaks a person. Just like peer pressure; if your will or wall of values can hold up against peer pressure then this can be the strongest wall ever. Each person is different though. There can be week people with week mental walls, who need physical walls to shield them from the reality they live in or the reality they see. This always makes me think of an insane asylum. People who occupy those walls have week mental walls, in my opinion.
ReplyDeleteI would have to say that mental walls are stronger than physical ones. This is because mental walls are harder to overcome than physical walls. When something is harder to face or is the more challenging task; the outcome is usually for the better, so stronger. There is also more to learn from mental walls compared to physical walls. These mental walls teach you more about yourself and help to change you as a person, or shape you. So mental walls seem to have a more interesting outcome compared to a wall that can be constructed and broken down. It is a lot harder to break through mental walls.
There are times where I feel like walls can be very dangerous, but there are times where I feel like walls are very important in peoples lives. The reason why I feel walls can be very unhealthy for human beings is having walls up can actually win many relationships in life. The reason for that is if you are so bottled up and not open to tell people more about yourself, you won't be able to build a strong relationship with someone. I know there were times where overtime you have been hurt and hurt and have built up a very strong wall to people that have hurt you, but there is a time that we need to let go of our walls and learn to trust again. When you were closed up and and you don't let anyone in, it's very difficult to move on with life not afraid of anything. When you build up walls you're more likely afraid of something that happened in the past that you're not ready to let go. I feel like that is a very unhealthy wall that you should not bring up in your life. But I do feel like physical walls are more powerful than the nonphysical walls. The reason for that is because a physical wall can be made out of brick, can be made out of metal, can be made out of something very strong. There are times where if a wall is strong enough you cannot penetrate it. If you are just putting up a wall non-physical those can be easily broken.
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