Gary Dominguez

Auto ethnography
9/23/14

Cover Page
At the beginning of this semester I wasnt looking forward to this class, reason being I
really hate writing. I dont really know what it is about writing that just ticks me off. I think its
the fact that writing is putting your thoughts together on paper. This sounds a lot easier than it
really is, your thoughts are like little minions running around in your head and it is hard to catch
them and put them in a straight line. It takes a lot of time and effort for some people this includes
me.
Coming in with an attitude already was not a very good start. But thanks to our professor
Tinoco life in 1302 was a lot easier. She made us feel as though we simply had to put forth our
best effort nothing more or less. Our first assignment was to write auto ethnography. This was a
very simple project that asked us to describe and talk about two special artifacts. It was designed
for us to talk about some of our own life experiences and connect them with our class theme pop
culture.
I choose to revise this assignment because it was our very first assignment and what
better way to show progress then fixing your first work. This assignment lacked fundamental
things that I needed to improve on as a writer. The following are things that Ive revised
organization, narrow in general ideas, better introduction, better connect the overall assignment,
and fix grammar mistakes.
I believe that I have grown tremendously as a writer with this course. Ive gone from
generalizing everything to focusing on key points that need to be addressed thoroughly. Ive
learned to differentiate I productive statement from an unnecessary one. I have become familiar

Gary Dominguez
Auto ethnography
9/23/14

with different objectives of writing. Different objectives mean that you have to adjust to what is
being asked of you. I have become a much better writer with the help of this course. Something
that really stood out to me was the fact that our writings had a very strong connection to us
because we had the opportunity to discuss pop culture. This really helped us flourish as writers
and helped us focus on just becoming better, rather than hate how boring the prompt is. I really
enjoyed this class and I hope that you enjoy my revised piece.

Gary Dominguez
Auto ethnography
9/23/14

Auto ethnography
There have been many things that have impacted my life throughout the years. Yet only a
few have stayed with me throughout my growth. Two of the most important artifacts that have
changed my life for the better were a TV show from the 90s and a Tupac song. These two
artifacts have been part of my life since the day I had a connection with them.
The artifact that comes into my mind when I think of my past is the TV show The Fresh
Prince of Belair. I remember coming from school as a kid and rushing into the house to turn on
the TV. My mom used to work two jobs and my dad worked well into the night. My mother used
to pick up my sister and I from school, leave us at home and go straight off to work again. My
sister was a lot older than me I was in elementary school and she was in high school. We didn't
really have a lot in common but this TV show was one thing that both of us liked and it made me
as if my sister and I made a small connection. This might not seem like a big deal but to me it
was because we had never had something in common like that it meant a lot to me. It changed
my perspective of pop culture. I began to think of pop culture as a feel good vibe something that
would continue the rest of my life. It also made me feel like an older kid, as all little kids want to
feel at one point. I remember walking into school and talking to all the other kids about the
previous episode. I can still remember just how cool I felt this changed me because before that I
was just a dorky kid. This experience made me think of pop culture as very cool and popular.
I saw this as the first step into a whole different world. I pretty much left behind the
cartoons and the things that little kids liked. Since this show was one of my first experiences with
the outside world it determined a lot of the beliefs that I still hold until this day. The basis of this
show showed me lots from family to race and racism. I think I had a good experience watching

Gary Dominguez
Auto ethnography
9/23/14

this show because I learned things that I would have otherwise not have learned. I can also say
that this TV show helped me shape my own views about the world. I did not have to rely on
family or culture to wholly define my views on life. As I experienced lots of different scenarios
and situations from the Fresh Prince, in my future many things in my life did not come as a
shock to experience. This show did a lot for me and its crazy how big of an impact it created on
me and my life from a child to a young adult.
The other important artifact that has had a big impact on my life would be the song
Dear Mama by Tupac. The first time I heard this Tupac song on the radio I was amazed. It was
something that I had never heard yet it was so cool. It had such flow and swagger the lyrics
would hit your ear drum like an awesome soft impactful punch. This song had a big impact on
my life not because I thought it was cool but because it changed my style of music dramatically.
My style changed from traditional Hispanic heritage to new pop culture. This song created an
image in my head that was extremely vivid. I saw a totally different outlook on life. It was a
story of a part of society that I had never came in contact with. Being a small child I rarely had
contact with anything or anyone but my own family. I guess what really attracted me to this song
was the connection I felt with it. Even though the story told and the way it was told had very
little in common with me and my small world, the message was extremely close to me.
My mother was a very hard working woman and really dedicated to her kids. She
suffered a lot her whole life and wanted nothing but the best for us. When this song came to my
ears it was nothing less than poetry. It shared my feelings at that point in time and for it to sound
so fluent with such swagger I was hooked on for good. It also made me realize that we were not
the only ones living in such tough situations. This is the reason I felt in contact with the outside

Gary Dominguez
Auto ethnography
9/23/14

world. Because I had never before experience that connection with people outside my inner
circle, this song helped me to not view the world as this scary place, but a place of connection
and similarities that joint us together as a society. This song definitely had an impact on many
aspects of my life, and it will probably continue making a difference on my life and my familys
life through me.
These two artifacts have had really big impacts on my relationship with many discourse
communities. A certain community in general that I became a part of is modern culture or pop
culture. The artifacts above over time created in me a certain perspective a certain view that most
of my peers also shared. I also shared common goals with pop culture one of them being that we
simply wanted to break the chains and show the world a different view in life our own unique
view. Through the artifacts I became influenced and encouraged to be outspoken.
The Fresh Prince and Dear Mama completely changed my views on culture. I learned
that even though many cultures have different views and different traditions most humans are
connected by similar things and feelings. There are no unique cultures that are complete out of
the range of others; we have more in common than we think we do. The artifacts that had a major
impact on my life also shaped my views on race, class, and gender. The artifacts are so similar
that they basically shaped me in the same way. They taught me that racism is a thing of the past
and that everyone should grow as people and realize that everyone should be treated equally.
Also that woman should be cherished and respected as a part of society. Finally that there are
many class levels to our world. That is the truth but now more than ever it is more of a free for
all. If you set your mind to it there is no stopping you in reaching your goals.

Gary Dominguez
Auto ethnography
9/23/14

It is crazy to think that such a small artifact can shape your life and your views so much.
Im glad I came across these artifacts because they I believe they changed me for the better and I
became a more self-aware person. I can only imagine what type of person I would have turned
out to be if I had not come across these pop culture artifacts.