Student 65

My first item is a thin, black hair tie which was given to me as a child by a friend.

When I was younger, my hair was very long and wild, and I’d always need to bring a hair tie with me once it became frizzy. One day, however, I forgot to bring one and asked my friend, who had thin straight hair, for one. She gave me the thin hair tie in the photo, and I accepted it despite knowing that it would break in my hair. The difference between our knowledge went as far as our genetic makeup; due to her having very thin hair, all she needed was that thin hair tie. This affected her knowledge of other hair textures and types, which led to a confusion between her and I. Of course, this also limited my knowledge as well.

My interaction with my friend made me realize that both of our knowledge was incomplete and that we only had a fraction of the big picture that we, as humans, are all different and carry different needs. This interaction also shaped the way I think in the present. Whenever I need a hair tie, I keep in mind that I should ask for one from people with a similar hair type as mine. This goes to show that my knowledge, even as a child, depended on who I interacted with. This object and its significance pertains to the key concept of culture.

Culture ties this object to the prompt as it shows that knowledge depends on our interactions with others through our culture and backgrounds. By interacting with others who are different from oneself, we ultimately gain new knowledge. These interactions can also form new viewpoints and ways to process and apply information.

An important real-life application of this discussion is the issue of prejudice in the modern world, often seen as favoring one group of people over another rather than applying current knowledge to solve a situation. Although knowledge depends on our interactions with others through our cultures, it does not need to be a divider between individuals.

My second item is an old horseshoe I earned in a stable after my first horseback riding lesson.

I was in the fourth grade when my parents took me to a stable where my friend frequently got lessons. The stablehands gave my brother and I a free orientation and the opportunity to ride one of the horses. We paid no attention that our parents seemed a bit disturbed after speaking to the stablehands, who were all white. At the end of the orientation, I was given the old horseshoe to share with my brother. I believed all was well until we went home and my parents explained that the stablehands were racists. Then, I realized that no one truly talked to us unless they had to; then it made sense why my parents looked disturbed. A few weeks later, our application to learn at that stable was declined.

Through my interactions with the stablehands, my knowledge of behavior was changed and I realized that power abuse and preference over one race existed closer to me than I previously thought. Also, in processing this new knowledge, I became more aware of subtle behaviors such as a glare. The interactions at the stable allowed me to not only gain knowledge about the actions and beliefs of others, but also to grow and change when it came to the way I digest new information.

A key concept significant to this object and its story is power. This concept is defined as the way in which knowledge gives us power. The definition of this concept applies to my development after the interactions with the people at the stable. This is because, in gaining new knowledge about modern racism, I eventually became a stronger thinker. Power also applies to the way humans process and put knowledge to use in daily life, which ties back to the prompt because our knowledge changes every day whenever we interact with people. The way our knowledge shifts and depends on these interactions is through the power we, and others, attain from knowledge. The more power we gain from knowledge, the more malleable we become through interacting with others.

My third and final object is a souvenir from my visit to Dakar, Senegal.

This wooden souvenir came from a merchant in the Lac Rose desert in Senegal. My family and I were driving ATVs in the desert when we came across the merchant. The merchant asked that we bargain for the right price. After the merchant and my father bargained, we continued on into the desert with the souvenir. It was then when I learned that it was a form of courtesy to bargain for everything in Senegal.

After this interaction with the merchant, my knowledge had changed during my time in Senegal. The way I formed thoughts and processed knowledge started conforming to the ways of a native of Dakar since I was constantly interacting with the people every day. My new way of thinking showed how my interactions with the people influenced my knowledge as a whole.

The key concept of values fits this discussion because of the beliefs and customs that changed the way I applied my knowledge to the world. It was important to keep my own values in mind, but also absorbing the values of the community allowed me to immerse myself and gain a greater experience by interacting with others who shared a similar mindset.