What Lit and Civ II Has Taught Me

            My next “What I’ve Learned” essay is coming a little late, but nevertheless I thought I would write this one about a few of the things I have learned specifically in Literature and Civilizations II. Beyond the content of the course, this class has opened my eyes to a unique style of learning as well. Rather than writing research papers, we are challenged to evaluate our own learning and experiences throughout the semester. I think this class has given me a chance to assess where I currently stand as well as the progress I have made instead of just mindlessly going through the motions like I have in other semesters. Through the readings and discussions we have had in class, I have also learned quite a bit about different kinds of humor, why people laugh, and even how to be humorous.

            One of the most interesting things I have learned this semester surprisingly came from Morreal’s Comic Relief. This book talked a lot about the different theories of humor and why people laugh at certain things. The first is the superiority theory, which can be most adequately demonstrated when watching one of YouTube’s many fail videos. This theory states that we laugh at the misfortunes of others because we are happy that they aren’t our own misfortunes. The next theory, the incongruity theory, states that we laugh when we recognize the inappropriateness of a certain response or action. We usually have certain expectations of how situations are supposed to play out—even if we don’t make conscious note of these—and this theory employs the reasoning that we laugh when the situation violates our expectations. The relief theory is the last of these theories and it says that laughter is our body’s response to released tension. For example, when a joke is being told and we aren’t sure how it is going to end our body builds up tension that is released through laughter when the punch line is told. I think that we laugh for a mixture of all of these reasons and probably a few more as well, depending on the specific person and situation.

            I have learned a lot from Vorhaus’s Comic Toolbox, which we have read and discussed over the past week. This book is all about how to be funny and how to write comedic stories. I have never been very good at creative writing, but this book is excellent at breaking it down into very small steps so that everyone has the chance to develop a funny story. One of the most important things this book taught me isn’t just about storytelling, but instead is something that can be applied to several aspects of life. Vorhaus tells his readers that it is important to focus more on the process than the product. If you spend too much time focusing on the product it will seem much larger and more daunting than it would if you were to just concentrate on the first step. This can be applied to any project you are undertaking in life—if you just take it one small step at a time you will be much less stressed and more successful.

            Vorhaus also gave great tips on how to create a comic character. First you have to ensure that they have a strong comic perspective. This is their specific outlook on the world—the lens they look through—and it dictates the decisions they make and many other aspects of their character. Next, they need an ample amount of flaws that separate them from the reader and set up their comedic actions in the story. We then need to add humanity to the character, giving them enough good characteristics to balance the flaws and ensures that the reader cares about them. After all, if the reader doesn’t care then he or she won’t laugh. Finally it is very important to include plenty of exaggeration in all three of these characteristics to push the limits and make it funny. With all four of these in mind, you can create millions of unique comic characters for a variety of different settings.

            This only brushes the surface of everything I have learned about humor in this class, but I still have two of these essays left to write!

Third meeting with Terrence

            Last Thursday Terrence and I met up for a third time at the bookstore. I was a little nervous about finding things to talk about this time because he is pretty shy and I feel like we have covered a lot of topics so far. Beforehand, I asked one of my friends who is majoring in Communications what kinds of things would be good to ask a foreign exchange student. I used a couple of her suggestions and Terrence and I ended up having a great conversation.

            We started talking about fall break and he said he needed to go to Dallas again to get more gifts for his family. He said he already has them for his brother and parents, but now he needs to get them for his grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins. He said that in China it was expected to bring back presents for the entire family anytime someone visited a new place. I asked him if family was very important in Chinese culture and he let out a laugh as if it were a ridiculous question and confirmed that it was extremely important. Getting your family’s approval on all important decisions is something they hold in high regard.

            Terrence asked me a very interesting question when we were on the topic of family; he asked if an American had to choose between family and work, which one would we choose.  I wasn’t sure what exactly he was asking so he rephrased it and said that if a man or a woman got a job in a different state and would have to be away from his or her family, would they take it? I thought about it for a second and replied that in most cases they would only take it if their family were able to relocate with them. If they were forced to leave their family behind for the job I don’t think most Americans would make that sacrifice. He told me that in China they wouldn’t think twice about it—they would take the job. This showed me that even though family is very important in Chinese culture, work is placed on an even higher pedestal. More specifically, money is what drives these decisions. Terrence said that money has the highest value in society and this is what drives their extraordinary work ethic.

            While we were on the subject of family values, I asked Terrence about his religious beliefs. He said that his family didn’t have any, but that most Chinese were Buddhists. I was confused then when he showed me his necklace that had a picture of Buddha engraved on it. I asked why he wore that if he didn’t believe in it and he said his grandparents had given it to him. For reasons I was too shy to ask about, his family had moved away from his grandparents’ religion but he still felt obligated to wear the necklace as a sign of respect towards them.

            There was a bit of an awkward silence as I tried to think of a new topic of conversation when Terrence said, “China is very interesting.” I asked what he meant and he began telling me about all of the places in China he has visited and which ones were his favorites and why. His favorite place in China is near Chengdu, which is about 3 or 4 hours from his house. He likes it because it is far away from any major cities and so there is much less pollution. It is also near the mountains and near a river, so he said it was beautiful and the air was so clean and fresh. It reminded me of Colorado because I have always felt that it was a relatively clean place, especially up in the mountains. I told him that if he ever got the chance he should try and visit Colorado because it would probably be very similar to this place he described at home.

            Terrence and I decided that next time we meet up we will go to the rec center and play a game of pool, since apparently he is very good at it. I look forward to our next meeting!

Conversation Partner Part 2

            I had my second meeting with Terrence last Thursday in Union Grounds. I was running a couple minutes late so when I got there, he had just eaten Chic Fil A for the first time and he loved it! He said the biggest difference between China and America is the food. He told me that he—along with every other student at TCU—is already sick of the BLUU food. He keeps telling me about a Chinese restaurant that is nearby that he loves so I’m glad he’s found something nearby that reminds him of home.

            Terrence was excited to tell me about his best friend who is transferring to TCU next semester. He goes to a school in Missouri and he came to visit Terrence last weekend to see if he liked TCU. He said they walked around TCU and then went to Dallas to shop for gifts to bring back to his family over Christmas break. I asked him why his friend was transferring and he said that the school in Missouri has very few students from China so he felt lonely and out of place. I asked Terrence if TCU had a lot of Chinese students and he laughed and shook his head no. He said that we have more than his friend did though. I asked if Terrence ever gets lonely and he said that he doesn’t. He misses his family a lot, but he talks to all his friends from home and has made lots of new friends here already. I think that going off to college is scary and overwhelming enough—I can’t imagine going to a college in a new country!! Terrence seems very independent though and I’m sure he’s had to become even more self-sufficient since he’s been here.

            I was happy that Terrence took more of an interest in getting to know me this time we met. I was wearing my purple scrubs because I had just come from the hospital so he started asking me lots of questions about the nursing program and what I want to do. I love talking about nursing so I was glad that he was interested in hearing about it. This also led him to talk about his mom for the first time. He didn’t have the words to really describe what she did but from what I could tell she is the equivalent of a dermatologist here but she mainly performs cosmetic procedures. He was very proud when he talked about both of his parents and it was obvious that he admired them very much.

            Terrence and I spent most of our time talking about school. I asked him about how his classes were going and he made a comment about having to do so many projects. He has group projects, presentations, class discussions, and other activities that I think are very commonplace in the typical college classroom. He said that he has never had to do anything like that before when he was in China. I asked him what his classes were like and he told me that the teachers just lectured and the students weren’t supposed to participate at all. They never had active discussions, definitely no presentations or group projects, and questions weren’t even encouraged. In Chinese schools it is expected that you take notes and listen and there is no importance placed on active participation. This is the opposite of most college classes in America—at least the ones I’ve been. Teachers here usually include participation as part of their students’ grades and there are almost always presentations and group projects in the class as well.

            I learned that similar to America national pride was very important in China as well. Every Monday at Terrence’s school, they would wear their uniforms and all the students and teachers would come together in the morning and say something similar to our pledge of allegiance. This was an important way they show their loyalty to their country.

            I am excited to meet with Terrence again this week and continue to learn more about him and his culture!