Sunday, September 7, 2014

Exploration 2 by Austin Nininger



My name is Austin Nininger, and my fun fact is that I can kill flies by shooting them with a rubber band. I am 19 years old and have one younger sister. I grew up in Centerburg, Ohio, and I attended Centerburg High School. I did not play any sports, but I did participate in ski club and drama club. I aspire to become a biomedical engineer and work developing better prosthetics. I decided on this major because I saw a story about a woman, who had a robotic arm, that she could control with her mind. This story helped me decide what branch of engineering I desired to be in. I wanted to help improve the lives of others by restoring their ability to walk or feel. Helping others is something I enjoy doing, and I believe that bio-medical engineering will allow me to do just that.

Tim Seibles was a writer, who used his writing to explore the world in different ways. Many of his poems and stories are written in perspectives, that many people wouldn’t consider. One of his poems was in the perspective of a mosquito. The use of many perspectives stood out to me. If I became a writer I would write in similar ways. I would write about fantasies and what my life would be like if I made certain decisions. Seibles wrote stories about what his life would be like if he had become a pro football player. Seibles was also known for keeping his writing playful, almost funny, and still providing a good perspective. I really saw myself in the way his writings were described.


Seibles’ poem For Brothers Everywhere  was my favorite poem I read. The humor Seibles added to his poem made it interesting. An ordinary game of schoolyard basketball was turned into something completely different. Instead of just describing it, he added slang and other phrases to describe the sport. The slang added a bit of humor and a bit of perspective to the poem. It sounded almost like one of the players were describing it to the reader himself. The reason for the use of slang was unclear, but it helped make the poem unique. Why did he choose to add slang? Was it directed towards a certain audience? Though we do not know the answers to these questions, what we do know is that the slang helps make the poem entertaining and interesting.

One book that impacted me through literacy events is A Man Named Dave by Dave Pelzer. This book was about Dave and his life growing up. The reason this book impacted me so much was because he suffered so much abuse and horrible circumstances in his life that it put my life in perspective. People use the excuse that they had a bad childhood, so they misbehave because of that. This book shows someone with the worst childhood imaginable (don't read it if you are squeamish). He suffers from so much abuse and misfortune, but he continues to work hard and try his best. He becomes a great person in the end and learns from his life. Those people who use the excuse should read this book. Also this book can help shed a little light in everyone's lives. It added a bit of perspective into my life. Maybe my life isn't that bad? Maybe my past doesn't define who I am? This book made me ask those very questions to myself and helped me to evaluate myself accordingly. I learned that I choose what I do and who I am, not those who mistreat me.      
 

4 comments:

  1. Austin, That is really cool that you can kill flies with a rubber band. I also helped out in the Drama club like you. I was the stage manager my Junior and Senior year of high school. I know all the time and energy it takes to be in those clubs. I admire you for having the ambition to help others in need. This is a great trait and I hope you follow your goals and make the world a better place.

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  2. Hi Austin, I also enjoyed Tim's playfulness he wrote with. I feel it makes it more fun to read, and that the humor he uses is very unique in poems. When it comes to the slang Tim uses, I feel like he's trying to get the younger audience to read and enjoy his works. I certainly did.

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  3. I was in my high schools drama club all through high school, and it was one of my favorite things to do. I always did the acting part of it and it was a great experience.

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  4. Your last paragraph I really loved. It was truthful and honest and I think this book will for sure go on my reading list. Just by that one paragraph you made me think, so I bet the book is just full on insightful questions. And I didn't even look into Seibles work, but what an interesting author. I wouldn't even know where to begin if I was required to write in a nonhuman perspective. How challenging yet intriguing.

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