Your Family Blood Ties Goutier 1

Your Family Blood Ties
What Ties Me to Me?

Ginette Goutier
Professor Vance
Psychology 231 C
20 February 2013
What Ties Me to Me? Goutier 2
Abstract
This paper will address whether characteristics, traits, and talents are genetically passed down to offspring; are they each the colored individual pieces that make up a puzzle? Or are they something more like the blended elements that fuse together to make a cake; something there with purpose but not really enjoyed until after the hard work is done. Poetry is an art form. It can be used as a method to relate and inspire others, or it can be used as an outlet for words unspoken. Poetry is not something that can be learned, it is something that can only be felt, put together, and solidified. The branches of poetry run deep in my family’s roots. I have cousins who write short stories for play to be used in Holiday Cards, and other’s who use their words to uplift the spirits of the saddened and hopeless. My cousin Rain Eerili, and my aunt Moon Ilis are both favored poets in our family. Each possess a wide range of talents and gifts but each have an uncommon background. One has a parental figure, who also wrote poetry, and the other grew up with no role model or interest in poetry, yet she writes with a style so unique to people of her age group. Raw talent is in everyone, whether it is genetically engineered or ignited through practice and dedication.

Your Family Blood Ties Goutier 3
Your Family Blood Ties
What Ties Me to Me? A personality characteristic plain and simply can be described as a word or two that highlights a person’s best qualities. The difference between a talent and a skill is that a talent can be when something comes easy to a person and they may develop it and make it theirs. A skill comes from a lot of learning and practice. The “talent” of my choice is poetry. There are many people in my family who write poetry, but only a few to my knowledge are masters of it. My cousin Rain Eerili, and my aunt Moon Ilis, both living, are masters in the art of writing and speaking poetry.
Poetry from a Line of Unknown Bodies
My cousin Rain Eerili or “Earlie” is the only male in my family that I am aware of who writes poetry as a form of encouraging words to women. He is the artistic creator and producer of a number of blogs via Face book and other social networks, as well as the creative designer for a company called Rude Island Productions, which is a t-shirt company that expresses the embodiments of various different women. What I mean by this is that his shirts and tops each depict some form of a woman on them, but it is actually a collage of different women he has known over the span of his life. My cousin uses his pain from break –ups, false loves, and anger to write and speak on it from a female’s perspective. Although his work may be a hit or miss trial each and every time, he is well accredited for his work. The following poem was created by Rain Earlie Eerili and published on his blog, “The Criteria of a Man, Her Story Through his Eyes,” via Face book. “BUNDLED”
Your Family Blood Ties Goutier 4
I sleep Bundled up in the summer
Deep Under the Covers in the WINTER ..!
I hide my head. That was my place of rest.
Where I could relax.
Stretch out
Let my guard down
It was supposed to be my be
But around when I turned 9
The bed was no longer mine
As soon as it turns dark
MY FATHER
He changes his part
From our protector
To the enemy behind my lines

Your Family Blood Ties Goutier 5
He became the infection
To the disease I’ve carried all of this time
LAck of Trust
Can’t feel right with any man
As soon as the lights are off
I feel like those are his hands
I hear his voice
And he is no longer alive
At night
Since I have turned 9
I’ve always cried
Even after he is gone …
Poetry from a Line of Poets
My aunt Moon Ilis is the other great writer in my family. She on the other hand practices a very different form of poetry than Rain; she writes on topics such as the spiritual well being of life, the key to living healthy, and other uplifting and inspirational topics. She is quiet and

Your Family Blood Ties Goutier 6 restrained when needed, but also has a very direct and piercing demeanor that lets people know she is not a woman to by toyed with. When she writes, she uses her eyes as her guide instead of a piece of paper and a pen. One of her famous quotes is, “The eyes are the light of the body, if then your eyes are true, your body will be full of light.” My aunt has never been the type to broadcast her poetry because she feels that anything too personal should not be shared with people on the outside looking in, some things just cannot be understood. However, I have had the great privilege of being probably the only person to read a few of her favorite pieces. My aunt has talent. Pulling from her Native American roots, she is fully able to embody the spirits of her culture. Her work reflects the harsh and bitter let downs of life that can be rejuvenated and uplifted through the most powerful emotion of all, love.
What is it, Really?
The likelihood that the talent both of my family posses are both genetically influenced I would say would be 50/50. I have never known my grandmother to by the poetry writing, or spiritually aware type. But my late uncle Willis Eerili, Rain’s father did acquire some fame in our family for being the “poetically challenged” child out of his eight siblings. Talent as I stated earlier, is something like an ability to do something without trouble, it is something that comes naturally to person. Talent as a whole cannot be passed down genetically, but parts of it can. What I mean by this is that in order for talent to reach its full potential, it must be influenced by other factors such as the environment. Let’s say for example that a child has a mother who writes and publishes books as well as poetry, and a father who works as a mechanic.

Your Family Blood Ties Goutier 7
If this child grows up around the mother who is well educated in the art of a language, knows how to express emotion well with words, and embraces each moment in life as part of a story- then the child is more than likely to grow up carrying those same qualities. On the other hand, if the child grows up around the father who is skilled in the craftsmanship of taking apart and assembling cars, studying various car parts, and dealing daily with many bitter sweet customers – then the child is likely to grow up carrying those same traits that the father possesses. The environment a child grows up in contributes to either jump start of his/her talent, or the diminishing of it.
Where is Your Talent?
Every person worldwide is born with a talent. Whether it’s painting, carpentry, singing, writing, or reading. It is in my belief that talent is passed down genetically, but to some extent. Figuratively speaking, talent is the lighter fluid burning deep within a person and positive and negative impacts that the environment has on a person is the lighter. A person can choose to ignite the flame within and embrace their talent, or let it settle within them, and let their body serve a useless barrel of wasted Butane.
Be open and Aware
I am not aware of all of my family members who write poetry and use their skills to inspire others, but there are a good number who do not. Many women on my mother’s side are lazy, and male- reliant, while the women on my father’s side are culture-craved and still male – reliant. The men on both sides of my family seem to be between a mixture of money- whipped, and emotionally challenged, both qualities that deflect them from the real purpose in life; to love
Your Family Blood Ties Goutier 8 and to hold. I am sad to say that not a great deal of my family members have chosen to ignite the oil burning within them, creating a number of barrels just awaiting to be disposed of.

Your Family Blood Ties Goutier 9
References
Coyle, Daniel. The Little Book of Talent. London: Random House, 2012. Print.

LeCous, Gina. "Inherited vs Acquired Traits." Inherited vs Acquired Traits. Science Fibers, 4 Apr. 2009. Web. 18 Feb. 2013.
Lilio, Nie. "The Gene School." ThinkQuest. Oracle Foundation, Oct.-Nov. 2010. Web. 18 Feb. 2013.
Mellis, Adrienne. "Can Personality Traits Be Passed down Though Genes? – Disease Zone." Disease Zone Can Personality Traits Be Passed down Though Genes Comments. Get Me Out of Here Scientists, 5 June 2008. Web. 18 Feb. 2013.
Smith, Luis R. "The Difference Between Natural Talents and Spiritual Gifts - PleaseConvinceMe Apologetics Radio with Jim Wallace." OnePlace.com. One Place, 9 May 2011. Web. 18 Feb. 2013.