English 222

Contemplative Journal Assignment #9
I Am Like You (6 pts.)

As you may have noticed from your reading of James Wright for the exam, he sometimes wrote poems about or addressed to some very shady or unlikable characters: rapists, serial killers, the Biblical Judas, people on dark street corners propositioning others for sex. Why would a poet choose to write about such subject matter? What is gained from addressing someone like that, or even speaking in their voice and persona?

For this week, please do the following:

  1. Sitting in the standard recommended posture, close your eyes and relax for a moment in open awareness. Just kind of say ahhhh to yourself, and breathe. Rest.
  2. Now think of someone you feel very good about; someone you really like, admire, enjoy, and want to be close to. This can be a friend, a public or historical figure, a family member, anyone. Quietly see the person in your mind’s eye for a moment or two. Picture what they are wearing, how they are sitting, what their hair looks like, the expression on their face, and so on. Try to see them vividly.
  3. Now say to the person, “I am like you.”
  4. Say it again: “I am like you.” This time give a reason or example: “I am like you in that ______.”
  5. Do this again. “I am like you because______.”
  6. Again. “I am like you in this way: ______.”
  7. Repeat 4 more times. Each time, your statement should be distinct from your other statements.
  8. It’s ok to be somewhat general at times, but try as much as possible to be very specific. That is, you can note broad similarities, but try also to note very detailed likenesses.
  9. Upon completing the statement a total of 7 times, relax and imagine you are once again seated by yourself. Let your mind just rest, and stay seated as long as it feels nice.

Repeat the above exercise 3 times during the week, but with these differences:

  • For the 2nd time, select someone you know quite well (or at least someone you know about quite well), but make this a NEUTRAL person. That is, someone you don’t have strong feelings for either way. You wouldn’t seek them out, but you wouldn’t go out of your way to avoid them either.
  • For the 3rd time, select someone whom you really don’t like—someone who flat-out bugs you, someone who disagrees with you on important matters, someone who offends you, someone you truly don’t want to be near. Again, this can be a friend, family member, public figure, historical figure, etc.

Be sure, each time, to first clearly picture the physical person before you.

As always, record dates, places, and times in your journal. Also, respond to these questions in at least a good paragraph:

  1. Whom did you envision? Describe them with some detail.
  2. What was this exercise like for you? Was it difficult, easy, strange, boring, fascinating?
  3. How did the experience change with each person you envisioned and spoke to? How did it make you feel physically, emotionally, intellectually, morally? Be honest. There’s no right or wrong answer.
  4. Any additional observations or questions?

NOTE: for this week’s tasks, it might be easiest to respond to the above questions as you go along. If you wait until the end of the week, you likely won’t remember all of the questions you asked these people! :)

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