Reaction to Fisher

 I was able to understand characteristics of perception well by reading this text. We have five ways of perceptions like seeing, hearing, tasting, smelling and touching. However, seeing is most powerful in five ways. We get a lot of information by seeing, so we tend to believe what we see. I want to reinforce other ways of perceptions.

 Especially, I am interested in selective characteristic of perception. People including me often believe only what we want to believe. Fisher said that the capacity of the brain is limited, so we need to choice perceptions. We want to remember good things, and ignore other things. It must be true. However, we sometimes cannot forget what I want to forget, like shocking things. The perception we select depends on our brain, not on our mind. We can choice what we want to percive, but we cannot choice what we do not want to percive. Therefore, we try to change bad things to good things by interpretating.

 The perceptions are essential in our daily lives. I want to control my perception if it is possible.

Reaction to Barna

 This text is useful when people face problems of intercultural communication. I rarely faced those problems, because I have never been abroad. However, there are some problems between Japanese communities. For example, a Japanese word like "yabai"  has a lot of meanings. I often use that word when I find difficulties and feel a danger, but my friends use "yabai" when a dish is very good and good things happen. Therefore, "yabai" means not only bad things but also good things. I sometimes do not know which meaning  she said by using "yabai". It is a kind of language differences. I need to ask the meaning to her directly to avoid misunderstanding.
 I think that differences are important, because I am able to learn a lot of things from them. Peoople tend to think that our own culture is the most natural. We need to accept differences between cultures. Knowing differences gives us a chance to look our own culture over again. I want to enjoy finding differences of intercultural communication when I go abroad.

Summer Reading

 I read “GIRL WITH A PEARL EARRING” during this summer. This book was written by Tracy Chevalier.

 I have seen this painting “Girl with a Pearl Earring” on TV. I was so impressed with her. I did not know why this girl in the painting attracted me, but I was interested in the painting. I wanted to know more about it. Therefore, I decided to read this book.

 Gliet had parents, a brother and a sister. Her father was a tile painter, but he was not able to work any more because of an accident. Therefore, she decided to work as a maid in Vermeer’s house.

 Vermeer lived with his mother, wife, five children and a senior maid. Gliet’s tasks were washing clothes, cooking and shopping for his family. However, the most important work was cleaning his studio for painting. Catharina, his wife, was jealous of Gliet, because she was not allowed to come in his studio. After the while, Vermeer asked Gliet to help making colors for his paintings. Although it was hard for her to do his tasks in secret, she was comfortable whenever she was in his studio.

 One day, Van Ruijven, Vermeer’s rich client, ordered Vermeer to paint himself with Gliet. She refused to be painted with him, because she heard his gossip that his maid was carrying his child. However, Vermeer decided to paint Gliet alone instead of painting her with him.

 When Vermeer was painting Gliet, he noticed that something was missing from the painting. The answer was Catharina’s pearl earrings. Then, Gliet wore the earrings for the painting, while Catharina was out. At last, Vermeer finished the painting. Unfortunately, Catharina knew the truth after she came back home. She blamed Gliet. Although she tried to scratch the painting, Vermeer caught her by his arm. When Gliet saw the spectacle, she decided to leave Vermeer’s house.

 It had been ten years from then. Gliet was married with Pieter, butcher’s son, and had two children. Vermeer was dead. When she visited Vermeer’s house again, she knew that Vermeer hoped her to get Catharina’s pearl earrings in his last will.

 My favorite scene is the last scene. Gliet received the pearl earrings from Catharina, because Vermeer hoped her to get the earrings in his last will. Vermeer may want Gliet to remind him even if he was dead, or to tell her to his love. However, Gliet turned the pearl earrings into money. It means that she took a step forward. That memory would not give her happiness. She chose a way to live as a butcher’s wife.

 Gliet may be an unfortunate girl. However, she was not defeated by any difficulties.

It has no wonder that our life will suddenly change like Gliet. There are both good things and bad things in our lives. This book taught me that people need to be strong to overcome any difficulties. We have to live hardly whichever we choose as a way to live.

First Posting

 I was so relaxed during this summer.
 I went to some famous places like JIBURI museum, Tokyo Disney Sea and HANEDA airport. They were really nice. I often went shopping.
 I met old friend. She went to same junior high school in Fukushima. I heard the situation that earth quake was occured in Fukushima from her. I was so shocked. According to her story, children in Fukushima cannot play in the ground. She also taught me the situation of my hometown and her current story. I was glad to see her during summer vacation. I was not able to go to Fukushima during this summer, so I want to go there in next summer.
 
 I want to get how to research English sources effectively from ARW Autumn. In addition, I want to improve my writing skills.