I really liked the book, but I thought it left the reader hanging and I don't know if I would read the sequel. There were parts of the book where I felt very apathetic towards Ishmael Beah and all of the people he encountered. There were times when I was absolutely repulsed by what Beah could do with a gun. And there were times when I was really hoping Beah would get better in his rehabilitation process. I would recommend the book to anyone, but I would forewarn them that there are times that it does get slow, and in my opinion it was never a fast read even at the interesting parts. Beah is truly an inspirational person and I very much respect him for what he has come over as a person. Some of the choices he has had to make as a human being have been so unfair and no one especially no child should ever have to make any choice like he did when faced between his life or the life of others.
I'm glad I read this book to coincide with my project for invisible children. It gave a more in depth look at what a child soldier really goes through in the field and what they need to go through after they get off the field rehabilitation wise. I really hope that more people can understand how important it is to protect the rights of children and how much help they need and will need for the rest of their lives if they ever have to fight as a child.
yours truly,
Amy
Thursday, May 12, 2011
A Long Way Gone #5
In The last section of A Long Way Gone, Beah is in New York at the conference. He sees snow for the first time. Get to experience the reality of New York, and attempts to reconnect with his uncle. Unfortunately he and his uncle never meet, but the times he has in New York are memories he will never forget. He starts up school again when he is in the city. He doesn't like American food, and he doesn't understand why Americans keep it really hot inside their house. At the conference, he confesses that he too is just child and that the reason he joined the army was "because of the loss of family and starvation. [He] wanted to avenge the deaths of his family. [He] had to get food to survive, and the only way to do that was to be a part of the army" (Beah 123). But leave it to Beah's life to take a turn for the worse as gun shots start going off the morning after the conference. Allegedly there was a new President of Sierra Leone and he was Armed Forces Revolutionary Council or the (AFRC). Later in the night, the RUF came on the radio and stated that they were "ousting the government" (Beah 203). Beah knew that he didn't want to return to his old life. He didn't think that he wouldn't be able to make it out alive. At the end of the book, Beah does go back to Sierra Leone. He knows it's the right thing to do. Dangerous but right.
yours truly,
Amy
yours truly,
Amy
A Long Way Gone #4
After UNICEF gets a hold on Beah, he is then sent to a rehabilitation center so he can work on getting better and improving himself so he can go back into society unviolently. In the rehabilitation center, they let Beah listen to music, and dance. Beah was still an angy person though. He had just fought a hard war. He had run. He had killed. After he got to the center, he took a liking to one of the female nurses. She changed his bandages for him and helped him with some other medical needs as well. During his time in the center he had a hard time opening up to people. He would have severe flash backs to the war which would only reverse his progress. Eventually what would help Beah would be to dance to his hip hop music. This brought on childhood memoris that made him forget about what happened in the war and really focus on what happened when he was younger. After getting out of Rehab, Beah is headed of to NY. He was enthused to go, suitcase in hand, not knowing anyone on the other side.
Beah knew he would have more opportunities in the United States. There wasn't as much violence, there were more jobs, and there was more to do overall. Beah was getting ready to explore a new world that would be entirely different than the one that was infront of him currently. He was ready to move on from one horrible part of his life and onto one new chapter
yours truly,
Amy
Beah knew he would have more opportunities in the United States. There wasn't as much violence, there were more jobs, and there was more to do overall. Beah was getting ready to explore a new world that would be entirely different than the one that was infront of him currently. He was ready to move on from one horrible part of his life and onto one new chapter
yours truly,
Amy
A Long Way Gone #3
In the third section of A Long Way Gone, Beah does what most people would imagine to be the unthinkable. He is forced into becoming a child soldier and fight and kill and torture other human beings. Beah was being brainwashed into thinking that what the soldiers were doing was okay, humane, and right. Beah notes, "I shot everything that moved until we were ordered to retreat because we needed another strategy" (Beah 123). He started doing drugs, acting out, and doing the unimaginably horrid duties that the soldiers wanted him to do. They are essentially only there to convert them into being little killers to follow in their lead. Beah struggles with the issue of violence at such a young age and it's sad to see what he has to go through to deal with the life he has been given. By the end of the section, UNICEF, an organization designed to protect children's rights, saves Beah and exclaims, "[they] are there to protect [them] and will do all [they] can to make sure nothing happens to [them]" (Beah 123).
One of the problems was that when Beah was fighting, he was given food and a place to sleep every day. How enticing is that? When you are running away for so long, and once you are caught you are given what you don't have daily! Just as long as you do one simple task. Dancing with the devil. I'm not saying what Beah did was right- not that he had a choice, but in the event that he did, would he have resisted?
yours truly,
Amy
One of the problems was that when Beah was fighting, he was given food and a place to sleep every day. How enticing is that? When you are running away for so long, and once you are caught you are given what you don't have daily! Just as long as you do one simple task. Dancing with the devil. I'm not saying what Beah did was right- not that he had a choice, but in the event that he did, would he have resisted?
yours truly,
Amy
Tuesday, May 3, 2011
MoI: Invisible Children article #5
The Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/para/lra.htm
The final article I read for this section of the marketplace of ideas was about the UPDA turning into the LRA in 1991. Joseph Kony had refused to go along with a peace agreement that would have ended some of the violence. There after, the LRA kills, tortures, rapes, maims, abducts, and in other forms abuses children who are forced into being soldiers. More than 6,000 soldiers were abducted in 1998. This is a number too large but one that unfortunately continued to grow at rapid speed. The LRA claimed that they were basing their work on the Ten Commandments, but if you ask anyone outside the LRA, the Ten Commandments would be seemingly far from the work that they are doing. Amnesty International has done a lot to help the war, but it is a very hard battle against the LRA and Joseph Kony. Because no numbers are kept for records on how many children have been abducted, killed, raped, maimed, sold to sex, there is no way in knowing the extent to how horrible this war actually is.
yours truly,
Amy
The final article I read for this section of the marketplace of ideas was about the UPDA turning into the LRA in 1991. Joseph Kony had refused to go along with a peace agreement that would have ended some of the violence. There after, the LRA kills, tortures, rapes, maims, abducts, and in other forms abuses children who are forced into being soldiers. More than 6,000 soldiers were abducted in 1998. This is a number too large but one that unfortunately continued to grow at rapid speed. The LRA claimed that they were basing their work on the Ten Commandments, but if you ask anyone outside the LRA, the Ten Commandments would be seemingly far from the work that they are doing. Amnesty International has done a lot to help the war, but it is a very hard battle against the LRA and Joseph Kony. Because no numbers are kept for records on how many children have been abducted, killed, raped, maimed, sold to sex, there is no way in knowing the extent to how horrible this war actually is.
yours truly,
Amy
MoL: Invisible Children article #4
April 21 2011 Invisible Children's '25' campaign Mobilizes 100,000 Young People to Stay Silent for 25 Hours; Featured on "The Oprah Winfrey Show" www.12newsnow.com/story/14490140/invisible-childrens-21-campaign-mobilizes
This article is short, but it focuses on the 25 event that happened on April 25 but from a pre event standpoint. It mentioned that the event was in place to raise awareness for all of the "invisible children" in Uganda. The event wanted to have each participant raise at least 25 dollars on April 25 and stay silent for 25 hours for the 25 year war on April 25. Overkill on the 25 thing? I think not. At the end of the night, and depending on what city you live in there may be a concert that will be in place to break the silence. It will feature bands like the Plain White T's, Rogue Wave, Peter Pisano of Peter Wolf Crier, Faces on Film, and David Archuleta. The campaign at the time had raised over 600,00$. Good job Invisible Children!
yours truly,
Amy
This article is short, but it focuses on the 25 event that happened on April 25 but from a pre event standpoint. It mentioned that the event was in place to raise awareness for all of the "invisible children" in Uganda. The event wanted to have each participant raise at least 25 dollars on April 25 and stay silent for 25 hours for the 25 year war on April 25. Overkill on the 25 thing? I think not. At the end of the night, and depending on what city you live in there may be a concert that will be in place to break the silence. It will feature bands like the Plain White T's, Rogue Wave, Peter Pisano of Peter Wolf Crier, Faces on Film, and David Archuleta. The campaign at the time had raised over 600,00$. Good job Invisible Children!
yours truly,
Amy
MoL: Invisible Children article #3
April 15 2011 Article: "I escaped life as a child soldier" http://blog.invisiblechildren.com/2011/04article-%E2%80%9Ci-escaped-life-as-a-child-soldier
This excerpt from Stephens past was very moving. Although it was only a few pages it went int great depth about the things that kept him going during the horribly hard times that he was going through. At only 16 years old Stephen was abducted and taken with about 40 other young men by the LRA. He went into talking about how his faith was the only thing that kept him going and his prayers were the only thing he had. He had lost his family, his friends, his belongings- everything. Stephen knew that he wasn't dead and that he could manage to live on. He explained that boys were forced to kill and girls were forced into being sex slaves. They were forced to live in horrible conditions. Stephen then escaped. He walked for days and days and finally one day he needed to sleep.When he awoke there was a Ugandan soldier was there to get him to a hospital and help him find his family.
yours truly,
Amy
This excerpt from Stephens past was very moving. Although it was only a few pages it went int great depth about the things that kept him going during the horribly hard times that he was going through. At only 16 years old Stephen was abducted and taken with about 40 other young men by the LRA. He went into talking about how his faith was the only thing that kept him going and his prayers were the only thing he had. He had lost his family, his friends, his belongings- everything. Stephen knew that he wasn't dead and that he could manage to live on. He explained that boys were forced to kill and girls were forced into being sex slaves. They were forced to live in horrible conditions. Stephen then escaped. He walked for days and days and finally one day he needed to sleep.When he awoke there was a Ugandan soldier was there to get him to a hospital and help him find his family.
yours truly,
Amy
MoL: Invisible Children article #2
October 7 2005 Profile: Joseph Kony- http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/4320858.stm
The BBC covered this article specifically about Joseph Kony and his life somewhat from his childhood up until his leadership in the LRA in a matter of two pages. It was a more informational based article bringing in facts that the public may not have known about Kony. Did you know that he played football? Or that he was a "brilliant dancer?" Kony wanted all of the power he could get and took on anything and everything he could. The article expressed, "He had created an aura of fear and mysticism around himself and his rebels follow strict rules and rituals." Apparently if his soldiers didn't make the sign of the cross before they went to fight, they were killed immediately with no negotiation. This article makes Joseph Kony out to be something that he truly is- a monster.
yours truly,
Amy
The BBC covered this article specifically about Joseph Kony and his life somewhat from his childhood up until his leadership in the LRA in a matter of two pages. It was a more informational based article bringing in facts that the public may not have known about Kony. Did you know that he played football? Or that he was a "brilliant dancer?" Kony wanted all of the power he could get and took on anything and everything he could. The article expressed, "He had created an aura of fear and mysticism around himself and his rebels follow strict rules and rituals." Apparently if his soldiers didn't make the sign of the cross before they went to fight, they were killed immediately with no negotiation. This article makes Joseph Kony out to be something that he truly is- a monster.
yours truly,
Amy
MoL: Invisible Children article #1
December 15 2005 The 'Invisible Children' of northern Uganda- http://silverchips.mbhs.edu/story/6012
This article tells a basic story of what Invisible Children is as an organization, who Joseph Kony and the LRA are and what the community can do to help with the organization. I liked how the article was structured by giving detailed information from the documentary. It really set the mood in the beginning of the article. Then the article talked about what an AP world history class was doing to help Invisible children so the reader, especially coming from someone who is a teenager, could relate and feel as they too should donate and help raise awareness to Invisible Children ourselves. The article used striking statistics that stood out such as 90 percent of the LRA's troops are now made up of children, and 77 percent of child abductees had seen someone murdered that alarm the reader and really make an anyone feel at urge to get involved. The reader was finally left with one inspirational quote from the movie, "'These innocent children are Invisible: because they roam distant battlefields away from public scrutiny, because no records are kept of their numbers or age, because their own armies deny they exist. Let's make them visible."
yours truly,
Amy
This article tells a basic story of what Invisible Children is as an organization, who Joseph Kony and the LRA are and what the community can do to help with the organization. I liked how the article was structured by giving detailed information from the documentary. It really set the mood in the beginning of the article. Then the article talked about what an AP world history class was doing to help Invisible children so the reader, especially coming from someone who is a teenager, could relate and feel as they too should donate and help raise awareness to Invisible Children ourselves. The article used striking statistics that stood out such as 90 percent of the LRA's troops are now made up of children, and 77 percent of child abductees had seen someone murdered that alarm the reader and really make an anyone feel at urge to get involved. The reader was finally left with one inspirational quote from the movie, "'These innocent children are Invisible: because they roam distant battlefields away from public scrutiny, because no records are kept of their numbers or age, because their own armies deny they exist. Let's make them visible."
yours truly,
Amy
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
A Long Way Gone #2
The second section of the reading in A Long Way Gone also moved at a fast pace. There were constantly people that they boys were running from and it seemed as if there were unable to trust anyone. This was hard to read given that in America when a child is in need there are organizations and people who volunteer their time to help make sure these children are safe and makes sure they stay on the right track. Unfortunately in Sierra Leone society works a little differently. There were times when the boys came across villages and the villagers would blatantly ignore them until they left the next morning. There were also times when the boys would come to a village and there would be people ready and willing to help. On their journey they came across a shack on the beach where a man maybe around the age of 20 (who stayed unnamed for safety reasons) helped them with their injuries, hunger, and thirst. The boys were ever so thankful of the man but as they were about to leave they were informed that the Chief of their village had been informed of their staying there and was very unhappy about it. Although the Chief had admitted it was a misunderstanding and the boys had been causing no harm, the Chief still publicly humiliated the boys by having them sit naked in front of the community and then dance and sing to their mix tape of rap music, and as a result they were forced to leave the village.
One of the boys that is with the group, Saidu, dies in this section. It is a very emotional few pages that is foreshadowed by dogs barking all through the night as if they knew something in the village was wrong. Ishmael tells us that the night Saidu dies, a part of himself dies as well.
At this point safety, family, peace, happiness, and even hope seem so far fetched for the boys. Everything the boys do is a struggle and they always try to think of the happy memories they used to have but those happy memories keep getting father and farther away- harder and harder to retrieve.
yours truly,
Amy
One of the boys that is with the group, Saidu, dies in this section. It is a very emotional few pages that is foreshadowed by dogs barking all through the night as if they knew something in the village was wrong. Ishmael tells us that the night Saidu dies, a part of himself dies as well.
At this point safety, family, peace, happiness, and even hope seem so far fetched for the boys. Everything the boys do is a struggle and they always try to think of the happy memories they used to have but those happy memories keep getting father and farther away- harder and harder to retrieve.
yours truly,
Amy
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
A Long Way Gone #1
Section one of A Long Way Gone really started the book at a faster pace than I had presumed it would. Taking place in Sierra Leone in a town called Mogbwemo main character, and biographer, Ishmael Beah and his brothers and a few of his friends had left home to escape from the horrific war that was coming right towards them. A quote that stood out to me early in the text that really summed up how Beah truly felt in the state he was currently in was, "These days I live in three worlds: my dreams, and the experiences of my new life, which trigger memories from the past." (Beah 20). Beah had known that what horrific things he was experiencing in his dreams weren't real, although they could probably become real. He also knew that he would not experience the happiness that he had in the past for quite a long time into the future.
I'm looking forward to reading more into this book. I haven't delved deep into into the text yet so there isn't a whole lot to base an opinion on but I can already say that I can tell it will be a tear jerker of a book. With talking to a few people who have read it they have said it is a must read and I will be happy I chose this book for the free reading assignment this semester and I am looking forward to my next four blog posts!
truly,
Amy Robinson
I'm looking forward to reading more into this book. I haven't delved deep into into the text yet so there isn't a whole lot to base an opinion on but I can already say that I can tell it will be a tear jerker of a book. With talking to a few people who have read it they have said it is a must read and I will be happy I chose this book for the free reading assignment this semester and I am looking forward to my next four blog posts!
truly,
Amy Robinson
Friday, March 18, 2011
Race in America
Reading some of the articles about race that is currently in America really aren't surprising after learning what we have these past few weeks. A few articles in particular stood out to me most though because of their shocking values. One was about the lack of people who want or would appreciate their churches to be integrated for Sunday morning mass. In the opinion of the congregants, the religion (however the same) is practiced entirely differently. In African American culture a Christian service is lively with gospel and fun and a huge sense a community is felt among everyone. In European American culture a service is a lot more calm with traditional prayer. In Hispanic or Hispanic American culture a Christian service isn't even recited in english-- oddly enough, I practice Judaism and have been to one. But some people may not feel comfortable integrating with how other cultures practice their religion. These people shouldn't feel forced to practice their religion in another way than they do- if it is a-traditional to them and they don't like to. The other article that stood out to me was significantly shorter but caught my attention none-the-less. The article was solely about whites becoming a minority within the next 50 years in the United States. Although this article is statistically backed up, I still think it lacks full credibility. I can not foresee America being majorly made up by African Americans and Hispanics judging by the amount of them there are today. How will there be such a drastic increase in such a short amount of time? It is not that I doubt the credibility or the potential of African Americans or Hispanics I just don't thin they will be able to immigrate and reproduce at such a drastic rate that they will become a majority in America.
Invisible Children Bracelet
Hey guys!
If you read my invisible children post and were wondering what bracelets I was talking about, this is the link:
http://store.invisiblechildren.com/bracelets
enjoy!
If you read my invisible children post and were wondering what bracelets I was talking about, this is the link:
http://store.invisiblechildren.com/bracelets
enjoy!
Hidden Bias
It came to no surprise to me that I had a slight prejudice towards European Americans during the simulation. However, I think that the simulation almost makes you have a bias. It directs your attention to good words and then European Americans and then bad words followed by African Americans. Then it switches. I do not quite fully believe that it was my bias towards African Americans that was stopping me from correlating them with good words or it was because I had just been used to seeing a good word and responding by typing with my right finger.
This is what Harvard University says about prejudice, "Prejudices are often accompanied by ignorance, fear or hatred. Prejudices are formed by a complex psychological process that begins with attachment to a close circle of acquaintances or an "in-group" such as a family. Prejudice is often aimed at "out-groups."
This being the case, I agree with wheat they said. I am ignorant to African American culture and that sometimes does make me fear what I should not fear. I do not hate African Americans, I also do not have an extreme prejudice against them. I feel bad for having any prejudice against them but how can I be blamed? I live in a community where we can count how many African American students there are in our high school on our hand and we do not veer too far out of our little bubble when it comes to exploring the world on the weekends. We are completely "attached to a circle of acquaintances" and although there are activities we can do to negate that prejudice and stereotypical behavior we hold, we were never taught to- so why should we?
Deerfield is a great community where youth and teens are encouraged to strive and are pushed to succeed in the fields of math, science, english, art, journalism, football, track, and many, many more. One thing we were never pushed to do is integrate ourselves. We have never had to force ourselves or be forced to be around anyone we didn't want to be around. As time elapses, Deerfield is slowly starting to change that ugly pattern, however I fear (and I really hope it does NOT happen) that once there becomes too high of a percentage... well you can figure out the rest.
This is what Harvard University says about prejudice, "Prejudices are often accompanied by ignorance, fear or hatred. Prejudices are formed by a complex psychological process that begins with attachment to a close circle of acquaintances or an "in-group" such as a family. Prejudice is often aimed at "out-groups."
This being the case, I agree with wheat they said. I am ignorant to African American culture and that sometimes does make me fear what I should not fear. I do not hate African Americans, I also do not have an extreme prejudice against them. I feel bad for having any prejudice against them but how can I be blamed? I live in a community where we can count how many African American students there are in our high school on our hand and we do not veer too far out of our little bubble when it comes to exploring the world on the weekends. We are completely "attached to a circle of acquaintances" and although there are activities we can do to negate that prejudice and stereotypical behavior we hold, we were never taught to- so why should we?
Deerfield is a great community where youth and teens are encouraged to strive and are pushed to succeed in the fields of math, science, english, art, journalism, football, track, and many, many more. One thing we were never pushed to do is integrate ourselves. We have never had to force ourselves or be forced to be around anyone we didn't want to be around. As time elapses, Deerfield is slowly starting to change that ugly pattern, however I fear (and I really hope it does NOT happen) that once there becomes too high of a percentage... well you can figure out the rest.
Thursday, March 17, 2011
Invisible children
I actually found out about invisible children when I was in about sixth or seventh grade when the current fad was to buy a 20$ bracelet to support a cause that we were too young to understand the meaning of supporting. My parent agreed to let me get the twine bracelet on account that I watch the video that went along with it- the video we watched as second semester seniors in high school. Watching it being twelve hard but I didn't quite understand the extent of the issue as I do now. I must say the documentary was much more moving and intense the second time around. It really makes you feel as if you have the best life of anyone on the planet. I didn't get into one of my colleges last night but these children may not live to apply to college. And if they do, they may have been abducted and stripped of everything they once knew. Its not fair. These children deserve more. They are more. They are human. They are like me, like you.
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
Current Events
Complete and utter chaos is what floods Cairo Egypt in its current states. The articles I read reflect that former President Hosni Mubarak has resigned and turned all of his power over to the military in January. As of now the former president feels as if he is in grave danger and has fled Egypt to go to Saudi Arabia for safety. After his departure Prime Minister Ahmed Shafiq resigned from his place causing even more of an uproar. Some of the videos I watched the people seemed really happy about the lack of power that their country had currently been under. There was constant yelling, of which I couldn't understand, and crowds and crowds of people everywhere. The pictures I looked at depicted a look of change and angst among much of the civilizations faces.
My research then took me to a headline and a video about how Lebonese soldiers who themselves refused to shoot were shot. I thought it was crazy that just because the refused to kill other people, they were in turn killed. This whole situation in the middle east seems to me to be avoidable, but then again I'm not the one fighting.
My research then took me to a headline and a video about how Lebonese soldiers who themselves refused to shoot were shot. I thought it was crazy that just because the refused to kill other people, they were in turn killed. This whole situation in the middle east seems to me to be avoidable, but then again I'm not the one fighting.
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
Mock Trial Recap
1. A) The first trial about Elyse Roberts was a pure case of sexual harassment. Kevin Murphy made her feel completely uncomfortable in the work place by doing things like touching her back, inviting her to parties that she specifically said she didn't feel comfortable going to with him, and making snide remarks about her clothes and her appearance. The verdict ruled that Kevin Murphy was sexually harassing Elyse Roberts and because the district attorney's office didn't do anything to remedy it, the office was found guilty. I whole-hartedly agree with the verdict that was made upon the conclusion of the case. Even aside from the side I was arguing in the case, I don't think there would have been a different, yet still appropriate, way to rule on the case. I believe the jury found the swimsuit catalog issue and all of the comments that Murphy had about Elyse and how she worked were very compelling in the case. The actions of Murphy were strong enough alone to sway the vote of the jury. But on top of Kevin Murphy's actions, the fact that the district of attorney's office not doing anything to remedy the situation was the icing on top of the cake. These facts were important to consider because they proved that sexual harassment took place. To reach an opposite opinion i think there would have needed to have been a lot more stress on the fact that Elyse Roberts' work deteriorated but NOT as a result to the actions of Kevin Murphy.
B) The second case to me was less clear cut of a case of sexual harassment. Susan and David were in there second relationship, in college, and had not been sexually active other than once on Susan's birthday. One night after a party, where they both drank a few beers, they went back to Davids house which was not out of the ordinary for either of the two. David and Susan started to get into their make-out session and David started making advances on Susan. Susan said no and tried to get up but in the midst, David latched onto her silk shirt and tore it. She eventually got back into bed and started making out with David again and again he made advances on her. She said no again got up and went to his desk to find that he had a note from another girl regarding him as her husband. This made Susan furious and she left. The verdict the jury came to in this case was that David was not guilty of raping Susan.Being a jury member for this case, I agree with this result. The way the defense made it seem like Susan had said "no," seemed to only be a flirtatious gesture more than an actual way of saying stop. It was really important in my opinion that the defense had stressed that actions speak louder than words and since Susan's actions said yes, it overshadowed her actually saying no. Looking back on it, I could have easily seen the case going the opposite direction with the exact same information given. I thought the plaintiff's lawyers did a sufficient job in showing the jury that no means no, no matter what. They could have maybe stressed what a good person Susan was like the defense did with David.
2. I think both issues, sexual harassment and rape, are very grey issues and can not be looked at through a black and white lens. In the first case, Elyse Roberts told Kevin Murphy to stop, and tried to take action on her problem in other ways. Some, however, may argue that she really just needed to lighten up because what he was doing really wasn't that big of a deal. In the second case, Susan and David were in a relationship. On top of that Susan was completely leading David on. Should David really be reprimanded for his girlfriend leading her on? Or should a flirtatious no really mean no? As far as I know, there really aren't problems like this in the DHS community. I think the students here are very respectful of others wishes and concerns and even if people don't agree with others no sever actions are really taken. The culture of DHS detracts from these issues because students are pretty easy going. When in a situation where these issues are prevalent, these issues can not be overlooked. The problems should be addressed with high alert and concern.
yours truly,
Amy
B) The second case to me was less clear cut of a case of sexual harassment. Susan and David were in there second relationship, in college, and had not been sexually active other than once on Susan's birthday. One night after a party, where they both drank a few beers, they went back to Davids house which was not out of the ordinary for either of the two. David and Susan started to get into their make-out session and David started making advances on Susan. Susan said no and tried to get up but in the midst, David latched onto her silk shirt and tore it. She eventually got back into bed and started making out with David again and again he made advances on her. She said no again got up and went to his desk to find that he had a note from another girl regarding him as her husband. This made Susan furious and she left. The verdict the jury came to in this case was that David was not guilty of raping Susan.Being a jury member for this case, I agree with this result. The way the defense made it seem like Susan had said "no," seemed to only be a flirtatious gesture more than an actual way of saying stop. It was really important in my opinion that the defense had stressed that actions speak louder than words and since Susan's actions said yes, it overshadowed her actually saying no. Looking back on it, I could have easily seen the case going the opposite direction with the exact same information given. I thought the plaintiff's lawyers did a sufficient job in showing the jury that no means no, no matter what. They could have maybe stressed what a good person Susan was like the defense did with David.
2. I think both issues, sexual harassment and rape, are very grey issues and can not be looked at through a black and white lens. In the first case, Elyse Roberts told Kevin Murphy to stop, and tried to take action on her problem in other ways. Some, however, may argue that she really just needed to lighten up because what he was doing really wasn't that big of a deal. In the second case, Susan and David were in a relationship. On top of that Susan was completely leading David on. Should David really be reprimanded for his girlfriend leading her on? Or should a flirtatious no really mean no? As far as I know, there really aren't problems like this in the DHS community. I think the students here are very respectful of others wishes and concerns and even if people don't agree with others no sever actions are really taken. The culture of DHS detracts from these issues because students are pretty easy going. When in a situation where these issues are prevalent, these issues can not be overlooked. The problems should be addressed with high alert and concern.
yours truly,
Amy
Sunday, January 30, 2011
State of the Union Address
In our in class discussion regarding the recent State of the Union Address given by President Barack Obama, a main issue we talked about was the issue of many of the schools in the United States are very unfortunate and have a lot less than we do. This related clearly to our school board's recent decision to put the referendum on the ballot for the public to vote on in the april elections. It was of the opinion in some of the class that instead of using our millions and millions of dollars to build two brand new high schools, we should donate some money in hopes to improve schools for other communities. I however disagree. I think that the money that our parents work so extremely hard to make should not go to some other community where students may take it for granted and not use the money in the same way that we do. Each and every year, with what Deerfield and Highland Park High School's have to offer students thoroughly challenge themselves to preform to the best of their abilities. Shouldn't we be praised for the good work not reprimanded because some inner city school doesn't have the same opportunities we do? As a school, we would not be able to accomplish all of the achievements that we are able to accomplish if we had to give the money that goes into supporting our school system to other districts.
About our school system learning more math and science in our mandatory years at school, I would like to point out that I think that by the time a student reaches the age of 18 years old they are going to veer in the direction of one occupation versus another and I don't think a few more months of math and science are going to change their ideas. I don't think it should be required or suggested by my government to put me into a field of study that I don't want to be in. If I want to be an artist, let me be an artist, If I want to be a chef let me be a chef and If by chance I want an occupation where I work in the fields of math and science, my government should let me choose for myself if I can do that.
About our school system learning more math and science in our mandatory years at school, I would like to point out that I think that by the time a student reaches the age of 18 years old they are going to veer in the direction of one occupation versus another and I don't think a few more months of math and science are going to change their ideas. I don't think it should be required or suggested by my government to put me into a field of study that I don't want to be in. If I want to be an artist, let me be an artist, If I want to be a chef let me be a chef and If by chance I want an occupation where I work in the fields of math and science, my government should let me choose for myself if I can do that.
Saturday, January 8, 2011
Final Thoughts on A Million Little Pieces
The main overall theme and message I took from A Million Little Pieces is the idea that overcoming addiction is possible. James Frey suffered through so much in his book and the extent that his addiction owned his life is unthinkably extreme. It was said in his book that if James Frey had taken drugs or drank one more time, he would have died. In the book Frey seems to be a powerful strong man. He doesn't take any bullying from any of the other patients in the rehabilitation center and he does what he wants and what he thinks is best for himself to recover from his addictions. James Frey's perseverance is very respectable given all of the things he said he went through in the early stages of his process to recovery in the rehabilitation center. It was great that Frey eventually found something that he could believe in, The Book of Tao, and that helped him overcome what he couldn't do on his own. With the help of his family, his friends, and his counselors at rehab, James Frey overcame his horrid addiction.
In my senior english class, we have been reading plays (Hamlet and Antigone) that the main characters really suffered through some hard times and because of those hard times, they have been emotionally unstable. My teacher always comments that when she thinks she's having a bad day, she will remember the lives of Hamlet or Antigone because those characters have had "bad lives." James Frey could be that character for me. Frey suffered through some grueling tasks in his life and still managed to overcome the difficulties. Although Frey's life was in "a million little pieces," he put his life back together. There may have been a few pieces missing, but he is able to live his life and prosper.
I chose to wait until I was done reading the book to find out why James Frey's credibility faltered. In finding out what Frey lied about by viewing Oprah's interview with Frey, I have a different view on the book. I would recommend reading the book because of it's powerful message, but I think James Frey was a moron to lie about what he did. I will not disclose what Frey lied about in this blog, however, what he lied about didn't add to the story yielding it unnecessary and ridiculous to even lie about. Overall the book was powerful, yet it was slow in times too. I'm glad I read the book, but it isn't a book I would read over and over again.
In my senior english class, we have been reading plays (Hamlet and Antigone) that the main characters really suffered through some hard times and because of those hard times, they have been emotionally unstable. My teacher always comments that when she thinks she's having a bad day, she will remember the lives of Hamlet or Antigone because those characters have had "bad lives." James Frey could be that character for me. Frey suffered through some grueling tasks in his life and still managed to overcome the difficulties. Although Frey's life was in "a million little pieces," he put his life back together. There may have been a few pieces missing, but he is able to live his life and prosper.
I chose to wait until I was done reading the book to find out why James Frey's credibility faltered. In finding out what Frey lied about by viewing Oprah's interview with Frey, I have a different view on the book. I would recommend reading the book because of it's powerful message, but I think James Frey was a moron to lie about what he did. I will not disclose what Frey lied about in this blog, however, what he lied about didn't add to the story yielding it unnecessary and ridiculous to even lie about. Overall the book was powerful, yet it was slow in times too. I'm glad I read the book, but it isn't a book I would read over and over again.
A Million Little Pieces #5
The most important passage from section 5 of A Million Little Pieces happen to fall in the last two pages of the book. James Frey's brother had come to pick Frey up from the rehabilitation center one morning. Frey had said that he wanted to go somewhere that served cheeseburgers but his brother and his friend decided they wanted to go shoot some pool at a bar. Once they get to the bar Frey asks he brother to spot him 40 dollars and says he would pay him back once he had the money. Apprehensively his brother agrees to loan him the money but really pushes Frey to think about what he is going to do with it. Frey ends up going to the bar and asking the bartender if he could have a pint of bourbon and he has the money to pay for it. Once he got the alcohol, Frey looked at it, smelled it, and felt it. At that point he was getting mad. Eventually, after spending some time fighting what he wanted to do so badly, he called the bartender over again to pour out the alcohol. He didn't want it. To him the alcohol was "shit." I was really surprised that this had happened and it was great to read that James Frey could fight his addiction. Throughout the book I was never convinced that Frey could have the power and control over his life to be around alcohol and not use it. For Frey to have a pint of alcohol directly in front of him and not drink it was arguably the hardest thing Frey had to encounter in all of his time after being admitted into the rehabilitation center. Going to rehab made Frey into a stronger person and helped his life drastically. I was immensely proud of Frey for asking the bartender to dump out the alcohol that he had ordered and paid for because I didn't think he was a strong enough person to do that. Throughout Frey's time at rehab he seemed to reject their ideas and ways of fighting addiction because he said those ways didn't work for him and he could fight the addiction his own way. By saying that, it seemed as if Frey were just being immature and unwilling to change, but I am now convinced that Frey truly had his own way of healing himself and fighting his addiction.
Friday, January 7, 2011
A Million Little Pieces #4
An issue that came up in the 4th section of A Million Little Pieces is the issue that Addiction is a disease. James Frey is a hard believer that he caused the addiction himself and that no one around him or in his life was the cause of all of his pain. In a meeting with his parents during family weekend at the rehabilitation center, the counselor that met with the Frey family, Joanne, was explaining that addiction has recently been proven to be a genetically inhereted trait that is passed down generation to generation. I knew that this was a debated fact in modern America, so I decided to look further into the issue. One fact that really stood out to me was that "In the early stages of addiction, there might be some choice involved, butmonce the addiction there is no choice" -http://www.drug-addiction-support.org/. It was interesting to browse around the website to see what they have to say and after viewing the website I am more convinced that any type of addiction truely isn't the choice of the user. To prevent people who have inhereted genes of addiction, those people should not only be fully educated on what addiction is, but also should be fully aware that people in their family have suffered addiction and they are more likely to become addicted to drugs or alcohol if they choose to begin using either. It is very important that if someone with the inhereted genes does start to become addicted to any substance or substances that help is quickly given to them.
The point that James Frey was trying to make was that a disease is something like cancer or alzheimers. A disease that no one wants and people can't choose to get. His idea was that he chose to continue with his addiction. He liked the feeling of being drunk and high so he chose to continue doing it. He wanted to continue taking drugs and that is one of the main problems that needed to resolve. It is great that he took the initiative to go to rehab and try to make his life better.
The point that James Frey was trying to make was that a disease is something like cancer or alzheimers. A disease that no one wants and people can't choose to get. His idea was that he chose to continue with his addiction. He liked the feeling of being drunk and high so he chose to continue doing it. He wanted to continue taking drugs and that is one of the main problems that needed to resolve. It is great that he took the initiative to go to rehab and try to make his life better.
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
A Million Little Pieces #3
A passage stood out to me in the third section of A Million Little Pieces that I found myself to thoroughly disagree with. James Frey was taking a walk in the woods and thought to himself, "When one lives without fear, one cannot be broken. When one lives with fear, one is broken before one begins to live." Although this deep thought can be interpreted in a good way, the negativity behind it stands out to me greater. If one is fearless of everything in the world, they are not fit for survival. Whether or not people like it, there are millions of things in this world that can harm us and precautions need to be taken against those things. For instance James Frey's addiction to drugs. If Frey had been fearful of the consequences that came with trying drugs, Frey may have chosen not to do drugs, saving his life from a horrible addiction. The extent that Frey was addicted to drugs was so extremely high that if Frey had done drugs one more time, he most likely would have died. In my opinion Frey should have feared this happening all throughout the time he was doing drugs. James Frey is basically saying that people should live their lives as if they are invincible. A false perception of invincibility can be severely harmful to ones life and should be avoided at all costs. It is narrow minded to think that being invincible is a good way to live and thinking in that way is just asking to get hurt.
Another thing that irritated me about James Frey in this section was his extreme disrespect for his parents. His parents came to the rehabilitation center for a "Family Weekend" to progress in the relationships that they have together and Frey's attitude towards them was so negative and disrespectful. Throughout Frey's life, his parents had supported him and tried to do the best they could to give Frey the kind of life they thought he deserved. Frey repaid his parents by getting addicted to alcohol and hard core drugs. When his parents go out of their ways even more for him by visiting Frey in the rehabilitation center, Frey has the audacity to be disrespectful and wish that they were gone. Respecting one's elders is a very important thing to do. Not because of what any religious books say, but respecting your elders shows that you are grateful for everything that they have done for you.
We will see how the next section goes, but as for now, I do not like the book.
Sunday, January 2, 2011
A Million Little Pieces #2
During the second section of the reading I found myself to be very angry at Frey. In rehab he became very suicidal and was doing all that he could to try to get out of the center so that he could just go to die. He ended up walking out of rehab in attempts to leave but was greeted by a fellow rehab patient that made him promise to stay for at least another 24 hours and if he still wanted to leave after those 24 hours, no one was going to stop him. Frey was presented with another opportunity to survive. So many people that he has encountered have given him opportunities to turn his life around and be a better individual. But that is a major problem with Frey. Every ounce of help he gets, he refutes it with wanting to hurt himself. In the 24 hours that Frey had to stay at the clinic for before he could once again try to leave the facility, he kept saying things like "I have 18 hours left until I can leave this dumb place." This made me so mad because he is showing that he doesn't want any help. People have been trying to help him for a long time. This wasn't his first time in a rehabilitation facility. If he wants so badly to just leave and use drugs and drink until it is the death of him, then why should anyone try to stop him. Obviously his family and his friends don't want to see him dead, I don't think anyone would want that- but if his family and his friend have tried and tried and tried to support him and help him through rehab and nothing is working, there isn't a whole lot they can do about it. Frey makes an interesting point when he explains that he doesn't truly believe he is human. He explains, "Humans are said to only seek food, shelter, and sex. Humans are said to have only these as their primary urges. I have lived in a state where I went without all, sought none. I do not know what that makes me." James Frey looses his humanity when his addiction takes over his life and then has to live with what the addiction brings. To be a human you have to be more than a living breathing being. You have to be able to function in society and you should have those primary urges. All James Frey want's is to die, rather commit suicide, because his addiction literally controls his life. At this point in the book I do not think James Frey has any hope of getting better. He continues to be shattered into a million little pieces broken beyond repair.
A Million Little Pieces #1
As I began reading this book, It became apparent to me that it was not going to be a happy book to read. The first page of the book really stood out to me throughout the entire first section of the reading. It says, "'The Young Man came to the Old man seeking counsel.' 'I broke something, Old Man.' 'How badly is it broken?' 'It's in a million little pieces.' 'I'm afraid I can't help you.' 'Why?' 'There is nothing you can do.' 'Why?' 'It can't be fixed.' 'Why?' 'It's broken beyond repair. It's in a million little pieces.'" If something is broken into a million little pieces, it would be extremely hard to fix, but would it be impossible? Can all of the pieces be picked up? Can something so broken survive if a few pieces were not put back together? After the first section of the reading, the main character, James Frey, seemed as if he would not be able to be fixed. He did a lot of drugs, and he abused alcohol heavily. It was a release for him. Drugs and alcohol made Frey feel good: he was an addict. The book then continued with Frey being on a plane not knowing where he was going, all beat up, bleeding, and confused. He gets off the plane to his parents telling him that it was time that Frey should go to rehab. When Frey first gets to the rehabilitation center, he was apprehensive about everything. Drugs made Frey feel good and even though he knew that he was just hurting himself by doing the drugs, that didn't stop him from wanting and using them. After settling in the facility Frey begins to believe that things would start getting better. He learns that if used drugs one more time that he would die, and used this as a motive to keep him strong. This however didn't last very long. Eventually Frey's addiction and withdraw from not using the drugs became so intense that he felt content with suicide as long as he got to drink and use in doing so. The main issue in this section is of addiction. Addiction took over the mind and body of James Frey so much that it controlled his life. It seemed that he couldn't beat his addiction. He was shattered into a million little pieces and was broken beyond repair.
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