Final Reflection

I was a member of what I feel was the best group in the class. We were Chuck Norris Group. It was comprised of six people, all of which came from different backgrounds. People weren’t afraid to speak their mind and say what they truly felt. That is part of what made this group so cool. We were able to collaborate to form a text who’s meaning wasn’t really even clear to the people who made it. We came together and made something original and unique. 

 

When we first met up, group-interaction was a little slow. That is to be expected when six people without previous interaction gather at eight o'clock in the morning to talk about the coffee they haven’t yet had. Once conversation got rolling, we initially talked a little about our cup's "The way I see it". But honestly, I didn't find it too provocative. Neither did the rest of the group. The general consensus seemed to be that the cup’s text, in large, was filler. One thing led to another, and someone brought up the topic of "love" and talked about his take on "true love" for a while. It was then suggested that we all watch a video on Youtube entitled "Smoke Weed all Day." I was not very impressed. When it came time to create an interpretive text, we thought we could create something that the following group could interpret. So we passed the Starbucks cup around and drew pictures of words that rhymed on the sides. By the time the cup was filled with drawings, our fifty minutes of class time were up. We packed our bags, said our goodbyes, and parted ways.

 

When we first met on the following day, we exchanged cups with our neighboring group. Then, we began our group discussion by talking about the other group's cup. We concluded that their cup’s meaning was no deeper than ours; they just doodled on their cup. There wasn't much interpreting to do... When we realized their was no intentional metaphors or hidden meanings, we tried to pinpoint the motives or inspiration behind each individual mark on the cup. That was when I realized that the meaning extracted from a particular text is not always the one the author intended to communicate. Instead of taking a text at face value, if one looks at the language and style used, a deeper meaning can then be found. We then started talking about our own personal views and opinions of Starbucks. What we liked and disliked about it. Some people cannot bring themselves to support a place with practices that could be deemed “unethical”. Others just want their damn coffee.  So while some of us have personal issues with Starbucks, universally, it was agreed that they are good at what they do. That is the reason behind their success. A person can travel anywhere in the country and know exactly what their coffee is going to taste like, and the manner in which it will be served to them.

 

In the end, Chuck Norris Group came together to create an abstract text, interpret someone else’s, and talk about personal and ethical issues. I would not hesitate to say that each group member walked away as a stronger person who is better equipped with the tools needed to succeed.