Works Cited

• Takaki, R. (1993). A Different Mirror: A History of Multicultural America. New York: Bay Back Books, Little, Brown and Company.

• Weems, M. E. (2003). Public Education and the Imagination-Intellect: I Speak from the Wound in My Mouth (Cultural Critique, V. 5). New York: Peter Lang Publishing.

• Allen, M., Alfonso, A., Baker, J., Atkinson, T., Barry, S., Davis, J., et al (2009, May 13). 2-6-2 Rule « ForumCorp's Blog. ForumCorp's Blog. Retrieved November 18, 2009, from http://forumcorporation.wordpress.com/2009/05/13/2-6-2-rule/
  
• C. (2009, April 21). Purple State of Craig. Purple State of Craig. Retrieved November 18, 2009, from http://craig.purplestateofmind.com/?p=687
  
• Arjunpuri. (2009, June 12). A Tribute to Anne Frank . Arjunpuri's blog. Retrieved November 16, 2009, from arjunpuri.wordpress.com/2009/06/12/a-tribute-to-anne-frank-whose-innocence-touched-many-lives/
  
• Maya Angelou Biography -- Academy of Achievement. (n.d.). Academy of Achievement Main Menu. Retrieved November 18, 2009, from http://www.achievement.org/autodoc/page/ang0bio-1
  
• Dreyer, Thorne. "The Rag Blog: Thorne Dreyer: Intelligent Exchange on Gay Hate." The Rag Blog. Version 1. unknown, 16 Nov. 2006. Web. 18 Nov. 2009.http://theragblog.blogspot.com/2008/11/thorne-dreyer-intelligent-exchange-on.html.

• Szafranski, S. (n.d.). Racism Is Taught - steev szafranski / portfolio. steev szafranski / portfolio. Retrieved November 18, 2009, from http://design.steevszafranski.com/66346

• bgjoker. (2006, February 12). YouTube - 2Pac - Dear Mama . YouTube. Retrieved November 18, 2009, from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JNcloTmvTeA

• Pathco Films. "YouTube - Racism Is Taught ." YouTube . Version 1. none, 2 Sept. 2006. Web. 18 Nov. 2009. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JXip2U0xiyw

• Dreyer, Thorne. "The Rag Blog: Thorne Dreyer: Intelligent Exchange on Gay Hate." The Rag Blog. Version 1. unknown, 16 Nov. 2006. Web. 18 Nov. 2009.

• http://theragblog.blogspot.com/2008/11/thorne-dreyer-intelligent-exchange-on.html
  Hicks, Esther. "YouTube - truly inspiring video ." YouTube . Version 1. uknown, 22 Nov. 2007. Web. 18 Nov. 2009. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=adLxTDJgXUw

Lifenotes 3 week 7

“ I think therefore I am” Rene Descartes. (Weems 2005) This quote from Descartes really caught my eye as I was going through the book. Everyone has a mind and the ability to think, and that is a beautiful thing. This being said, I feel that education and using our brains is what really gives human beings the ability to grow. The ability to think, learn, and feel are the things that make us human feel alive, and really give us life. This is one of the main reasons why I wanted to become a teacher. People as individuals each bring something different to the table. Interaction in the classroom environment can really open students up to expressing themselves and learning from others. This reminds me of my seventh grade teacher. I asked him if he ever regretted becoming a teacher, and he said no it is something he loves to do. The money is not always good but I learn something new everyday. He also said that he learns just as much from us as we learn from him. At this time, I did not understand exactly what he meant. It is only now that I understand what he really means. One of those things that he told me is that you can never judge a book by its cover. This is one lesson that I continue to learn over and over, everyday of my life. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=adLxTDJgXUw

“The plight of gay-lesbian-bisexual-transgendered students is another area in which imagination intellect can be nurtured.” I definitely agree with this statement and wish that I would have learned to be more accepting of gay or lesbian students in my early education. At some point when I was in elementary school I was taught by my peers that it was ok to say things like “that is gay” or “You’re a fag”. Unfortunately some old habits take a long time to get rid of. I will admit that even today I have caught myself saying that is gay. However, since I have taken this class I have been much more conscious of the words that I choose to use. Unfortunately, about two weeks ago I found myself talking to one of the guys in my class. To be honest I’m not sure if he is gay but he has always had feminine manurisms. Regardless, me and this student were talking about one of the assignments that we have and how difficult it is going to be. I found myself saying “ Yea that’s gonna be so gay”. This other kid gave me and odd look and said well I will see you in class man. As I thought about what I had just said, it finally registered that I might have really hurt his feelings. The lesson that I learned from this situation is that I have to watch what words come out of my mouth. Words can be really hurtful and often offend others. I feel that this situation could have been avoided if I had only be exposed to the idea of being more sensitive to the gay community. I feel that if kids are exposed to such ideas at a young age they would end up being more understanding and sensitive to others. In the long run I feel it would be very beneficial to individuals and society at large.

“ Aesthetic appreciation and expression should be explored simultaneously in the classroom.” I can say that I do agree with this point. It kind of goes along with giving kids a sense of confidence that they can create and that they can be individuals. I feel that I did not experience a lot of this during my time in public schools. However, I did witness this during my observations at Gilmour Academy. The class that I was in was of kids who were in first or second grade. The teacher read them a story about monsters and afterward they were told to create their own monster. As I walked around, I was very impressed. One of the kids drew a monster called radio man. This monster had speakers on every limb, and very intricate switches and buttons on his body. Furthermore, he had what appeared to be radio waves coming from his body. Behind radio man in the distance, were radio towers. I was surprised that a kid this age was so gifted and creative. Many of his peers also had very creative drawings. These students were pushed to be innovators through an exercise in which they created their own monsters. I thought that this was a really cool way for the kids to create something on their own, and they really seemed to enjoy it.

Violence can really hurt people, but can words sometimes hurt more?

Lifenotes 3 Week 6

“Angelou refused to be denied. I WOULD HAVE THE JOB. I would be a conductorette and sling a full money changer from my belt, I would.” (Takaki 1993)
To me this quote is very relatable and a great example of human determination. Angelou would not let barriers or obstacles get in the way of her success. When you put your mind to something, the sky is the limit. I think that everyone has experienced situations in their life where they were told they could not do something. In these circumstances, I feel people discover their true colors. In my life, I have had a number of situations in which I was told I could not do something, or felt as if I was not being given a fair shot. This quote brings me back to the summer of going into my senior year of football. It was two days before double session practices, and I was in the weight room. My defensive line coach approached me and started to talk to me about my position. I remember being shocked at how blunt he was in our conversation. He said that he knew I was already going to start at the offensive guard position. He then proceeded to say “unless you are some Javon Kearse, you will probably just play offense this season.” Quite frankly I was pretty upset that he already set his mind on starting another kid before we even started practicing. This lit a fire in me and made me even more determined to win the spot at defensive end. I worked hard and went in with the mind set that failure was not an option. I ended up starting at defensive end and had a great year. There is no better feeling in the world than achieving your goal in the face of adversity. Although football is just a game, this is one situation that taught me a valuable life lesson. When you really set your mind to something, you can do anything, not just in the game of football, but in life.
“We got scared. We went to an American building where a lot of Americans and their Vietnamese associates were ready to be picked up by helicopters,” recalled the refuge. (Takaki 1993) The Vietnam War was without question one of the most demoralizing wars in the United States history. The war took its toll on U.S. soldiers, citizens, and on the Vietnamese people as well. The quotes talks about the chaos happening for everyone on the soil in Vietnam. The Vietnam War always reminds me of my father. He was growing up during the war and always told me stories about it when I was a kid. My dad told me how scared he was during that time about the possibility of being drafted. Luckily, the war ended right when he turned eighteen. Two of his best friends that lived on his street, had older brothers that were in the war. His friend Dave’s older brother came back psychologically messed up from the war. Dave’s brother was always outgoing and funny, but when he came back he was really depressed and withdrawn. One day Dave’s brother went out to the bar, so my dad and Dave snuck into his room. They found a box full of awful pictures from the war. There were pictures of dead, bloody, decapitated Vietnamese soldiers. He said that to this day he will never forget the pictures that he saw. There was also a tragedy of a boy down the street named Jim. My dad and his friend always looked up to Jim growing up. Jim was a helicopter pilot over in Vietnam. On the last day of the war, he was flying out of the country and saw three Vietnamese children on the ground below waving their arms. Jim began to fly towards them to pick them up, but did not see the man that was knelt down behind them. This man came into Jim’s vision at the last second, but it was too late. This man shot a rocket and blew up Jim in the helicopter. This was a terrible tragedy and my dad told me how it affected the whole street. I have heard about the Vietnam War from my father and from others. From what I can tell, it was a very tough time for the people in this country.

“ Everybody remembers the first time they were taught that part of the human race was other. That’s a trauma. It’s as though I told you that your left hand is not part of your body, said Tony Morrison.” ( Takaki 1993.) Ignorance is one of the biggest problems in our society today. Often ignorance can be taught by older generations. If a parent is an open racist for example, a child grown up can easily be influenced by such behaviors and ideas. I feel that there are a couple ways to combat this kind of behavior. A couple of these ways are through education, having an open mind, and life experience. It can be easy in today’s world to stereotype and put people into categories. In my predominately white high school, there were a group of racist students. They sat behind me in history class and made racist comments and off color jokes. It did not take a genius to realize where their views and prejudices came from; their parents. Furthermore, about a month later, a small “race war” broke out between these four white kids and four black kids at my school. This kid named Tommy called my one friend Maurice a nigger and the fight went down. It got pretty bad, and Maurice was beating up Tommy until the fight broke up. The police came to the school and their was an announcement over the PA the next morning. The principal said fighting and racism would not be tolerated at the school. Anyone who broke the rules, would suffer the consequences of suspension or expulsion. Needless to say, Tommy was expelled and Maurice was suspended. This all happened during my sophomore year at Brunswick.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JXip2U0xiyw

Do parents realize how much their words and actions influence the behavior of their children?

Life Notes 3 Week 5

“Traveling by rail overnight, the migrants traveled great geographical as well as cultural distances”. ( Takaki 1993) When I read this quote I immediately thought of a film I had just recently watched called “Sin Nombre”. The movie was very culturally rich and enlightening. The movie showed how migrants from central and South America struggled and journeyed toward the United States border in search of a better life. Many of these people boarded trains and made their way toward the Rio Grande. In the film, a gang member named Willy boarded the same train as a beautiful Honduran girl named Sayra. Sayra was traveling with her father and her uncle in hope of making it across the United States border. Although Willy was in a gang, he was trying to get out of this association. The leader of the gang and Willy began to systematically rob people on the train. The gang leader had a gun and Willy was armed with a machete. Eventually these two came across Sayra and her family and began to rob them. This gang leader began to fondle Sayra and this seemed to really infuriate Willy. This man started to rip Sayra’s clothes off her body and Willy could not stand to watch this no longer. He swung his machete at his leader and killed him. This was a great act of courage on Willy’s part and it really moved me. I do not by any means condone the killing of a human being no matter how vile they are. However, Willy rescued this innocent girl from being raped and I respected him for that. I felt that this situation in the movie was a great example of how perilous the journey could be for these migrants attempting to get into the U.S. Sayra ended up following Willy towards the border where he eventually sacrificed his personal belongings to have her safely escorted across the Rio Grande. Tragically right as Willy was about to cross the river his former gang members tracked him down and shot him over a hundred times. “Sin Nombre” was a film that really opened my eyes to the hardships and struggles that migrants experienced through on this perilous journey.

“ To be left behind was to feel a sudden loneliness” said a Mississippi woman.(Takaki 1993) this quote came from a black woman living in the south during a time when many African Americans were moving their families north. This quote stood out to me with its theme of loneliness. As human beings we all feel lonely at certain times. For some reason when I read this I thought of my mom and this poem hit me right in my heart. The short poem that followed this quote described a scene with people leaving by train heading north and disappearing in a cloud of smoke. After reading this quote I immediately thought of my mother and felt kind of sad. I remember seeing the same kind of loneliness in her the day that my sister and I left for John Carroll this past fall. My mom is a very intelligent compassionate woman. She could have done many things in her life but chose to focus on her kids. She decided to be a stay at home mom because she wanted to spend time with us kids as we grew up. She really did a good job raising us and I know I wouldn’t be the person I am today without her in my life. My younger sister just graduated high school this past year and chose John Carroll. The day my sister and I left for John Carroll this August was a bitter sweet day for my mom. She has always pushed me and my siblings to do well in school. Her goal had always been to see her kids go to college and get the education that she never had. The day that we left was the first time she had to deal with living in an empty nest. I knew that she was hiding sadness behind her smile as we drove off that day. My mom has always had a really close relationship with her kids. She has told me countless times “ You kids are my life”. So when I read this quote I thought of her and how I should call and visit her more. College is a very hectic time and I think it would go a long way if we took the time during our days to focus on the people that matter to us. I think I’m going to call my mom after I get done writing this.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JNcloTmvTeA


“ The rabbi then noticed thousands of scratches that must have been made on the inside of the door, scratches that must have been made by the fingernails of so many men, women and children.” (Takaki 1993) this quote discusses how a rabbi walked into a gas chamber at Dachua where thousands of Jews were executed by the Nazis during World War One. When I read this I got a sick uneasy feeling in my stomach. Jewish people were exterminated in these gas chambers like animals. The scratches gave me the horrible image of people screaming in agony with such fear in their final moments. I pictured people scratching the walls in such desperation with blood dripping from their fingernails. That must have been such a horrible way for people to die. When I was about 12 or 13 years old I watched a movie with my family based on the diary of Anne Frank. To this day it is one of the saddest movies I have ever seen. My parents warned my brother and I that it might be hard to watch, but they wanted us to watch it with them. The entire movie was really sad, but there were a couple of scenes that really stood out to me. One of these scenes was when Anne and her family were taken away by the Nazis. They were taken away in a train and eventually everyone was forced out when it reached one of the camps. Anne was clinging to her father for dear life and the Nazi soldiers ripped her out of his arms and she was separated from her parents. Some of the men in this scene were lined up and ordered to get on their knees. Following this they were shot and killed in front of their families. Perhaps one of the saddest scenes took place after Anne and her sister had been at the camp for some time. One morning Anne tried to wake her older sister. She continued to shake and yell for her sister to wake. She finally came to the realization that her sister was not sleeping but she was dead. I remember looking over at my mom and seeing tears rolling down her cheeks. That movie gave me a strong sense of the horrors that took place during the genocide of Jewish people in concentration camps during World War Two. The movie was excellent but awful to me at the same time. The inhumanity that took place during the Holocaust will never be erased in my mind.

How many people have to die before people finally realize what hate breeds?

Works Cited

• 
  Takaki, R. (1993). A Different Mirror: A History of Multicultural America. New York: Bay Back Books, Little, Brown and Company.
• 
  DC Metro Moms: Children Deserve the Best of Parents, Even in the Worst of Times . (n.d.). retrieved October 20, 2009, from http://svmomblog.typepad.com/dc_metro_moms/2009/05/topic-dayrtpchildren-deserve-the-best-of-parents-even-in-the-worst-of-times.html
• 
  ABC, N. (n.d.). ABC Unleashed: Government and Politics:World Politics. Retrieved October 20, 2009, from http://www.abc.net.au/unleashed
• 
  Jewish Family Praying in Jerusalem Photo and Wallpaper (Public Domain). (n.d.). Retrieved October 20, 2009, from http://www.photos8.com/view/jewish_family_praying_in_jerusalem-other.html
• 
  YouTube - Laugh at the Fat Kid. (n.d.). Retrieved October 20, 2009, from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b_qYKCc9m0A
  
  

Life notes 2 week 4

"My father ran and fell down and blood came out of his mouth" [ He was shot through the head ] recalled Yellow Birds son, who was four at the time.( Takaki 1993.)
I have been fortunate in my life to have two loving parents. Yellowbird’s son on the other hand was not so fortunate. His father was shot and killed at Wounded Knee right in front of his eyes. I feel a great amount of empathy for him having to grow up without his father and can only imagine the pain that he must have suffered. In my own life this experience hits close to home with me. My best friend John lost his father when we were in the seventh grade from a work related accident. I remember talking to him on the phone for hours during that week. We didn’t really talk about the accident, but when we did I could here the sadness in his voice. I recall telling him that I was there for him and that he could call me at any hour of the day or night to talk. John was already a very strong person, but I really saw his strength in light of this awful tragedy. I saw my best friend grow up into a man that year. Even though I knew he was going through a lot of grief, he rarely let it show. He always kept everything together and became the man of the house in his home, he was like a rock. I compared John to a rock because it is so fitting of his character. He was always strong willed, level headed and was there to support his family during this time of mourning. John is also like a rock in that he is very physically strong and worked his way to bench press four hundred and twenty pounds by our senior year of high school. John always had the qualities of a leader and he soon became the leader within our group of friends. I have been best friends with John now for thirteen years. I really admire the great person that he has become, despite the hardships that he has faced in his life. Not only was I there for him, but he has always been there for me. John is not only my best friend, he is a brother. The quote from Yellow Bird’s son also reminded me of my father.

My dad also lost a parent in his life. He is the oldest of five siblings in his family and had a very a very close relationship with his mother. When he was twenty-six years old he got married to my mother and had my older brother Shane. It was a great time in my dad’s life until one day his mom went missing. No one knew where she went or talked to her during a period of about three days. On the fourth day my dad’s family received a phone call about a woman being found in the water where my grandpa’s boat was docked. My dad decided that he would go to the coroners to see if it was her. At first, he didn’t recognize this women whose body was swollen and filled with water. Then he took a second look at her face and came to the grim conclusion that it was his mother. It turns out that she had been cleaning my grandpa’s boat to surprise him, but hit her head, fell in the water and drown. My dad and his family were really torn up by this heartbreak. I can not even imagine how terrible it must have been to identify the body of his own mother in that state of being. He was the oldest of his five siblings and took on that role during this tough time. I remember asking my dad where my grandma was when I was very little, and he would say she is up in heaven with God. To this day, I still know her as Grandma in Heaven.

“Their hope to be both Japanese and American would be violently shattered on a December Morning in 1941.” (Takaki 1993.)
This quote dealing with Identity and mistreatment towards Japanese Americans brings me back to the eighth grade when I read the book “Farewell to Manzanar”. The protagonist in the book is a young Japanese girl named Jeanne who lived on the coast of California before, during and after World War Two. Much like Monica in the Takaki readings, her family also faced prejudices and discrimination due to their ethnicity. Things only seemed to get worse after the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941. World War Two brought about a lot of problems for Jeanne’s family and many other Japanese American families in the United States at this time. I was fourteen when I read this book and was shocked to hear some of the things that went on in this country. The book described how Jeanne and her family were relocated to a concentration camp called Manzanar shortly after the attack on Pearl Harbor, along with many other Japanese Americans at this time. I could not believe that I had not learned about these camps in school prior to reading this book. Jeanne’s father was a fisherman and boated on the Pacific Ocean between California and Japan. The FBI became suspicious of Japanese fisherman at this time and detained Jeanne’s father because they thought he might be a Japanese spy. He was held until there was no evidence to find him guilty of such a charge. Like Monica, Jeanne experienced prejudice in her everyday life. I was particularly disturbed when a read about one of Jeanne’s high school experiences. She was very involved in after school activities and was a strong candidate for homecoming or prom queen. One of Jeanne’s teachers attempted to throw away some of her votes so she would lose. However, one of the students caught this teacher in the act, and Jeanne ended up winning queen. Many Japanese Americans during this time in history faced a great deal of prejudice not only because of their ethnicity, but because of war. My roommate who happens to be one of my closest friends also experienced a heightened prejudice after an act of war against the U.S.

I have been friends with Ahmed since the seventh grade. He has a great, outgoing personality and was always very popular in school. Ahmed is a Lebanese American and also happens to be a devout Muslim. Even though he was well liked he still had to face a lot prejudice and ignorant comments. One of the worst examples of this was during our sophomore year when we were coming back from Sandusky on the football bus on September 11th 2003. One kid on the bus yelled “Hey Ahmed isn’t September 11th like Christmas for you?” Some kids were laughing and others told the kid to shut up. I was mad and Ahmed was infuriated. We grabbed Ahmed to make sure the situation did not escalate any further. When we got back to Brunswick our coach gave us a speech about racism and made the entire team run because of the incident. Another incident occurred during our senior year at practice after the first day of school. I was playing offensive line and Ahmed was playing outside linebacker on defense. After one of the plays one of our coaches made a cynical comment to Ahmed: “Ahmed, did they actually let you carry a book bag at school today?” I was in complete shock after hearing the coach say this. I can still remember everyone on the field looking at each other in disbelief. The coach had a smile on his face and thought it was funny. Ahmed somehow kept his composure and just looked at the coach and shook his head in disgust. I could not believe that our coach had just made a comment insinuating that Ahmed was some kind of a terrorist and might have a bomb in his bag. Through all of these situations Ahmed always seemed to keep a level head and handled himself very well. I always respected him for this and know that he will be successful in life and in any endeavors he pursues.


"When they used to call me names like greenhorn, I felt that I would rather die than hear it again.” (Takaki 1993)
I found this quote to be very relatable and a feel that it holds a universal theme. Most people have been called names or made fun of at some point in their life based on appearance at some point their life. This quote can relate to a couple of experiences in my life. One of these experiences took place during my freshman year at John Carroll. One night my friends and I were walking to party and saw a group of students that we knew walk past a Jewish family on the sidewalk across the street. I could tell the family was Jewish because of their attire and they were wearing yarmulkes on their heads. As the students kept walking one of them turned around any yelled at the family: “Keep it kosher Jew Bags!” They started laughing and ran away from the family. I felt bad for the family because it was probably humiliating to be yelled at like that. I also felt bad for the father in the family because he had just been harassed in front of his own kids. In this situation I merely witnessed people being ridiculed because of their dress and appearance. However, I also went through my own personal incident in which I was the subject of mockery being labeled by my appearance.

When I was about fourteen years old a couple of my friends and I went to a water park called Dover Lake. I was at an awkward stage and was short and overweight. When we first got there I insisted on keeping my shirt on, but my friends told me to not worry about being heavy and not to be self-conscious. So I decided to take my shirt off and go one the water rides. To my delight no one said a word to me about being fat until the end of the day. My friends were about fifteen feet in front of me and I had fallen behind them. I saw a group of older teenagers smiling as they walked towards me and one of the guys said: “Nice tits fatty” I laughed even though I really didn’t think it was funny. I was actually really hurt by these words and none of my friends had heard the kid say this to me. I decided to never tell anyone about what had happened.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b_qYKCc9m0A

How much different would our world be if people just thought about how their words can affect others?

Works Cited Page Weeks 1-3

• 103 outline 10. (n.d.). Retrieved September 22, 2009, from http://faculty.umf.maine.edu/~walters/web%20103/outline%2010%20umf%20103_06.htm
• Buchanan, P. (n.d.). Pat Buchanan: Slavery "brought blacks freedom and prosperity". Retrieved September 22, 2009, from http://impiousdigest.com/index
• CBS. (2009, July 22). YouTube - Black Panthers vs. White Supremacists. Retrieved September 22, 2009, from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=urpJ7iP-kFg&feature=fvw
• Nast, T. (n.d.). The Great Irish Famine. Retrieved September 22, 2009, from http://www.nde.state.ne.us/SS/Irish/Irish_pf.html
• Odoyle, D. (2008, April 7). YouTube - The Irish Emigrant by Danny Doyle. Retrieved September 22, 2009, from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jkcZMMgDc_w
• Pearson, C. (2007, July 27). Intolerance For Tolerance « The Black Sentinel. Retrieved September 22, 2009, from http://theblacksentinel.wordpress.com/2007/07/27/intolerance-for-tolerance/
• Picture History : James Hammond (1807-1864). (n.d.). Retrieved September 22, 2009, from http://www.picturehistory.com/
• Spring, J. H. (2006). Deculturalization and the Struggle for Equality. Boston: Mcgraw-Hill College.
• Takaki, R. (1993). A Different Mirror: A History of Multicultural America. New York: Bay Back Books, Little, Brown and Company.
• unknown, b. (2007, June 27). YouTube - Boarding School Native American Indian Student richheape.com. Retrieved September 22, 2009, from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OQ48PlBr7Oc
• unknown. (2008, November 14). SOCI 2308 Cultural Diversity. Retrieved September 20, 2009, from https://avivainstitute.org/register/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=68
• Simoneau, Y. (Director). (2007). Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee [Motion Picture]. United States: HBO Films.

Life notes week 3

“ The hands are required to be in the cotton field as soon as it is light in the morning, and , with the exception of ten or fifteen minutes, which is given to them at noon to swallow their allowance of cold bacon, they are not permitted to be a moment idle until it is dark to see.” (Takaki 1993) This quote really helps to illustrate how hard the day to day life of a slave was. From what I can see the life of a slave was a lot of work and no reward. I really hold a lot of empathy for slaves. I work landscaping in the summer and it is very hard work. Everyday I would come home and blow mulch dust out of my nose as well as from my eyes. Labor like that is no joke and unlike the slaves at this time I got paid by the hour, a one hour lunch break and probably worked only half the hours that were demanded from them. On top of all of that, I am sure my employer treated me much better than their plantation owners. If I messed up a task, I was corrected. On the other hand, if a slave did not perform a task correctly, he or she would be punished and whipped.

“Irish laborers, an immigrant complained, were “thought nothing of more than dogs… despised and kicked out.” (Takaki 1993.) there seems to be a pattern of harsh conditions and treatment pf minorities that immigrated to the United States. It started with white indentured servants, african American slaves, and continued with other immigrant groups such as the Irish. The Irish laborers were treated like pieces of meat. Many of these men earned their petty wages building railroads and even died doing so under extremely dangerous conditions. Evidently, workers compenstation had not yet been implementd in America. My own relatives immigrated to the United States in the mid 1800’s. I am definitely thankful that I grew up in the 1990’s rather than the 1850’s after reading this. I realize that if I grew up at this time in America, I would have probably worked on the railroads my entire life with terrible arthritis, or died by some kind of freak accident wile laboring. I feel both empathy for these people and fortunate for my life.
“The Irish were imaged as ape like and "a race of savages,” at the same level of intelligence as blacks.” (Takaki 1993) I personally found this quote very interesting because I had never realized the parallels in the treatment of irish immigrants and African Americans at this juncture in time. The stereotypes, and prejudice that many of these groups faced is unimaginable. If people today could just take the time to put aside their racial and cultural differences, I feel we would find each other very relatable as human beings. Although I am glad that as an irish American I have never really had to deal with stereotypes from the excerpt above, I find it disturbing that some of these negative stereotypes are still given to african Americans by some racist rednecks in today’s world.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jkcZMMgDc_w





Will there ever come a day when people are looked at as human beings rather than a label in another category?

Life notes week 2

“In the English mind the color black was freighted with an array of negative images: “deeply stained with dirt,” “foul,” “dark or deadly” in purpose, “malignant,” “sinister,” “wicked.” ( Takaki 1993) The color black in general has always associated with negative connotations such as evil or death for example. When white men came over to the New World, it was supposed to be an opportunity for freedom and a chance for a new life. For some people this was the case, for others it was just the opposite. From at the first encounters of white and black people, their was a preconceived prejudice. The mere sight of people with black skin put fear and judgment into the early white settlers in Virginia. From what I have learned and experienced in my life, misunderstanding leads to misjudgment, misjudgment leads to fear, fear can lead to prejudice, and prejudice leads to an array of negative outcomes.

“ In the 1705 Virginia legislated that” all horses, cattle and hogs, now belonging, or that here after shall belong to any slave, or of any slave mark… shall be seized and sold by the church wardens of the parish…and the profit there of applied to the use of the poor. ( Takaki 1993) It is now not even good enough to enslave African Americans for life, but now any possessions of value were stripped from them as well. The poorest whites were given charity not from pockets of wealthy landowners, but from enslaved blacks that were even worse off then themselves. That is one of the most ass backwards and twisted lines of reasoning that I have ever come across. At this time there was more free dirt in Virginia then free blacks.

“Driven by immediate economic interests and blinded by a short time horizon, the planters had not carefully thought through what they were doing to black people as well as to American society and future generations.” (Takaki 1993) A few more words that sum up the them in this quote are greed, stupidity, immortality, and misguided power. Not only did slavery the lives of African American hundreds of years ago, but its repercussions are still present in society today in the United States. To enslave a race of people is not only terribly wrong and cruel; it is also a product of stupidity and greed. At the time, slavery was economically satisfying for rich landowners and socially convenient for whites as well. It eased the minds of the rich that feared revolt from white indentured servants as well. The government and the rich through society was the easy fix at the time. However, it was a deep root that would produce an enormous tree of problems in the future.

One of the biggest problems in our country today is racism and prejudice. It started in the colonies hundreds of years ago and is still an issue in today’s society. Socially it is the biggest issue in the United States today. Prejudice views and racism have resulted in violence, death, misunderstanding, fear, hate, and most of all confusion. Early on prejudice ideals produced a domino effect of laws that completely restrained any hopes for African Americans to excel in this country. However as many years passed conditions slowly improved starting with the emancipation of slaves following the civil war, eventually leading to the civil rights movements and progressively moving towards equality of all human beings in this country. Socially I fell that huge strides have been made in the relationship and feelings between white people and black people in the last fifty years. Unfortunately, from my own personal experiences, I have come across people who are still prejudice against African Americans. On the other hand, I have also met African Americans who still seem to have animosity toward white people.




Football has been a big part of my life. What I love about the sport is that eleven different guys go out on the field and work together toward a common goal despite their differences. With about one hundred guys on a football team, you are constantly in a social atmosphere, especially in the locker room. As a junior in high school, we played Canton McKinley. They had a predominately African American team in contrast to my high school, Brunswick, a predominately white team. I remember I was on the sidelines and our offense was on the field. We were down by fourteen and our one receiver was tackled by a McKinley cornerback. Frustrated, he got up and called the McKinley player a foul name. I was shocked and disgusted when I saw that. Before a fight broke out, one of the coaches grabbed our receiver and gave him a piece of his mind. I was upset because it was wrong and because it made our team as a whole look bad. Another incident happened during my sophomore year of high school. We were playing Cleveland Heights and were riding the bus to their stadium. Our bus stopped at a red light in a rough area and their were four African American teenagers standing at the corner. One of the guys looked at our bus and smiled, pulled out a gun and pointed it at our bus. The bus driver hit the gas and ran the light. I was in awe and remember thinking to myself, “Oh my God, did that just happen?”




How can misunderstanding one another escalate into acts of violence, fear or conflict?


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=urpJ7iP-kFg&feature=fvw

Life notes week 1

“America does not belong to one race or one group.” (Takai 1993) The United States has been through its good times and bad times. America has become one, if not the most racially and culturally diverse countries in the world. This being said, we have had a lot of issues dealing with our differences. However, the citizens, the government, and society in general have made great strides in promoting equality and justices in a country that got off to a rocky start. The United States is a “melting pot” and every person no matter their race, cultural background, religion, or economic standing is equal share holders. Without anyone of these diverse groups, the United States would not be the country that it is today.

“Tell me and I will listen, show me and I will understand, take me in and I will learn.” (Charles 2007.) At first, Charles was very reluctant and resistant to changing his lifestyle. In the classroom, Charles was extremely intelligent and finally accepted the traditional European name Charles. This was his first big humility, but it was very significant because it exemplified that Charles really wanted to excel and succeed in this new life that he was pushed to live. His attitude in acceptance of assimilation was what really allowed him to persevere through these hard times of turmoil. Charles was highly motivated and utilized his intelligence and education to become successful.

“Get a torch over here I don’t want to see a single t p standing.” (General of the 7th calvary 2007.) When the general and his soldiers arrived at the Native American village they has one goal, and that was to destroy. The mind set of the whites during this time was to basically demoralize the Indians physically, psychologically, and spiritually. They did this through brute force, racial/cultural prejudice, forced religious conversion, and really smothered the Native American culture through government laws. This specific example of the complete destruction and burning of Indian’s settlement really symbolizes how the whites attempted to completely erase and bury the cultural and spiritual identity of the Native American people through assimilation.

“You must go there is no future outside the white mans world.” (Charles’ father 2007.) At this point turmoil between the whites and Native Americans was high. Charles’ father had already been absorbed so to speak by the European lifestyle. However, it was by his own will and he led Charles in this direction out of concern for his son’s future. He had already lived among the whites and knew that Charles would have the most promising life if he accepted this new life. The whites were in power and unfortunately for the Native American people that was a rapidly ensuing reality. It is almost like the saying goes, if you cannot beat them, join them. Equality is what was being preached, but the sad truth was the hostile take over and stripping of an entire culture. The Native Americans were pretty much the victims of genocide in early United States history. What Charles and thousands of other Native Americans went through was horrific. They were basically robbed of their land, culture, spirit, pride, and identity. I feel fortunate that I did not have to grow up like Charles and many others alike. I did not have a perfect childhood by any means, but I feel blessed and appreciate the life that I have been given. I grew up living in the suburbs with caring parents, and a roof over my head. I grew up in a Catholic family with a strong Irish and German heritage. Although I never experienced what Charles and other Native Americans went through, I can only imagine what that must have been like. It would be like if some other group in power such as Iraq came into the United States and took away my rights. I could not imagine being taken out of my home, and watching my hometown burn up in smoke. On top of that, being taken away to some settlement under Iraqi law and having a dress code would be horrible. Furthermore, I would be forced to change my religion from Catholicism to Islam. One thing I would also really struggle with would be the schooling aspect. I feel like it would be difficult to learn Arabic, for example, and be expected to speak fluently. Furthermore, much like Charles, I would have a hard time giving up the name I was given by my parents to something such as Amir for example. This whole experience would be very devastating and humiliating. Just simply imagining and writing up this scenario makes me feel a great deal of empathy for the way the Native Americans were treated. I have no problem with Muslims or Islam as a religion. My roommate who happens to be one of my best friends is Lebanese and my brother converted to Islam about two years ago. I have been fortunate enough to have been exposed to Islam and the rich culture that comes along with this religion. However, I know that id some other group tried to change my life and take away my freedoms, I would hold deep resentment. After analyzing this created scenario and reflecting on the documentary, I really disagree with how the Native Americans were bullied and assimilated. The major issues that caught my eye were the prejudice, mistreatment, violence, and absence of choice for the Indians in assimilation. This country was supposed to be built on the principles of freedom and equality, none of which were present in the forced assimilation of the Native American people.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OQ48PlBr7Oc

Globalization and Culture

“Hybridization involves the melding of cultural lenses or frames such that values and goals that were focused on in one context are transposed to a new context.” (Spring 2006 ) There is definitely hybridization occurring in the United States today. This quote kind of goes hand in hand with the idea that the United States is known as a “melting pot.” The United States is a very diverse nation racially, ethnically, and culturally. At the same token however, as individuals, we can pick up on each others cultures and integrate it into our own lives purposely or even unknowingly. This cohesion is what broadly makes up American culture. We all come from different backgrounds and cultures that we individually identify with, but interacting with people or different backgrounds can help shape us into more well rounded or melded individuals.

“Through the use of educational methods that promote cultural pluralism, Singapore has been able to maintain Chinese, Malay, and Indian cultures and languages.” ( Spring 2006) There seems to be a high sense of cultural identity in cultural pluralism. This example in Singapore allows students to maintain their culture and language. This style of education supports the household upbringing of the students. Cultural pluralism seems to value the notion of separate but equal. Although this education system seems to work well, it almost parallels segregation in the Untied States before the civil rights act in the mid 1900’s in my opinion.

“Understanding how republicanism, democracy, and equality are compatible with racism and religious intolerance in some people’s minds is key to understanding American violence and the often tragic history of education.” (Spring 2006) This quote is relevant to social, racial, and educational problems of the Untied States in the past, which are still questionably present today. We live in a democratic society that has contradicted itself in many ways. Although their have been vast implements socially and educationally in the United States, there is still a lot of room for improvement. We have come a long way since the days of segregated schools, but prejudice views continue to plague our schools and country in general. Our laws have been modified in a positive direction, but old prejudice views and animosity still seem to lurk in the shadows of our society.

Which educational method would be best in promoting educational equality in the United States?

I went to Brunswick High School at a time when the student body consisted of about ninety percent white students. In the last few years, the student body has progressively become more racially and culturally diverse. I see this as a big positive for the students, the staff, and the teachers alike. I grew up with a great group of friends that consisted of relatively the same ethnic backgrounds as me. I have always been a good people person, but I wish I could have been exposed to more kids that differed from me both racially and culturally growing up. I have always liked meeting new people and I think we should all get out of our comfort zone to meet people that are different from ourselves. If there is one thing that I have learned in my life so far, it is that you cannot judge a book by its cover. We all come from different backgrounds, but we all have similar problems and can relate to each other in many ways. I personally feel that the best education system for the United States would be a happy medium between cultural pluralism and hybridization. In the system there could be a balance of cultural identity and cultural interaction between different people.