HOnors Book club
Cat's Cradle Project: Mini Documentation Binder
Summary: The novel Cat’s Cradle written by Kurt Vonnegut, satirically critiques humanity through religion, science and technology. The book illustrates the meaningless substance that humans construct out of nothing.
Critical Reaction:
This book affected me in a number of ways, but in order to produce a concise reaction, I have narrowed the reactions I have had down to three main things. First, this book triggered a lot of questions concerning religion. After establishing the fact that Vonnegut is analyzing religion, I began to reflect on my own religious perspectives. While I was genuinely troubled by the idea that religion is essentially a group of people dedicating their lives to the belief of something that may or may not be true, I suppose I understood exactly how it could be interpreted like that. In fact, it shed both a negative and positive light on religion for me. It opened my mind to what religion may seem like to others or why some people choose not to believe in a religion, even though I felt like he was suggesting that those who are not religious are more in touch with reality. But at the same time, Vonnegut chose to perceive religious characters as happier people. This may have been suggesting that even though religion is a ridiculous concept and those who choose to conform are unrealistic, it is necessary to find content and happiness through things that may not be real, in order to shape your reality. Secondly, I reacted to the scientific aspect of this novel. In the beginning of the book, when it is primarily focused on the life of Felix Hoenicker, I found quite a bit of significance. Everyone respects Felix and worships him for his outstanding intelligence and his ability to create the atom bomb. The fact that Felix was only a brilliant scientist and incompetent in a social sense represents that you have to disregard morals and cannot understand the complete effect of what you are making when creating harmful science innovation. They also only applauded him for making the atom bomb, but never once recognized the horrifying effects that it had. This reminded me of the glorification of the U.S. and how a lot of people fail to acknowledge things beyond the glory. The third and final reaction I had to this book was the overall analysis of humanity. Vonnegut writes his book in a very unorganized and chaotic way, and I think he does so to make his point about the chaos and complexity of humans. The way he jumps around within the book, and makes commentary that you think is sometimes irrelevant, it is merely a reflection of how we are as humans. We are broad yet incredibly obscure individuals and this book provides explicit illustration of that claim. More so, as extreme and bizarre the book Cat’s Cradle is, it can be interpreted as an accurate reflection of religion, science, and humanity as a whole.
Seminar Reflection:
1. One thing that was brought to my attention during the Seminar was the significance of the title of the book. When debriefing, we collaborated to understand the importance of the cats cradle. The actual game of strings only displays X’s, yet it’s called a “cats cradle” implying that a cat and a cradle can be seen within the strings. I came to the understanding that this was a metaphor that Vonnegut uses to explain humanity’s way of analyzing things and creating meaning out of nothing. In the novel, Newt says: “Where’s the Cat, where’s the Cradle?” exemplifying the fact that we don’t actually know anything for certain, and that the cats cradle is a symbol for the lies humans construct out of meaningless substance. This was both enlightening, and disheartening. It is hard to accept or even attempt to come to the conclusion that life in general is meaningless, and everything people believe and live for is potentially a lie. But at the same time, it put things in to perspective. Perhaps it doesn’t matter if it’s real or not, why does it matter if we are content with our lives? Maybe believing in “happy little lies” is what living is all about.
2. One of the big questions that was proposed during the seminar was something along the lines of: Why is did the book end the way it did, and what is the purpose of the ending? The ending of the book holds a significant amount of meaning regarding the implications that Vonnegut makes about humanity. In Chapter 118 Vonnegut eloquently writes: God leaned close to mud as man sat, looked around, and spoke. "What is the purpose of all this?" he asked politely. ‘Everything must have a purpose?" asked God. ‘Certainly,’ said man. ‘Then I leave it to you to think of one for all this," said God. And He went away.” This passage from the book opened my eyes to the idea that there doesn’t necessarily have to be a purpose to life, and as humans we are able to come up with our own purpose and explanation for “all of this”.
The book both enlightened and perplexed my understanding of humanity in the sense that we will never know the truth of it, but it taught me that that is certainly okay. In Chapter 124 concerning Franks ant farm, the narrator states: “You tell me, you tell me who told these ants how to make water,” after the ants learn to cooperate with the ice-nine. I liked this quote in particular, because to me it exemplifies the mystery of mankind. We will never know who taught the ants to turn ice-nine back into water, nor will we ever know who taught us.
3. I have connected with this book in multiple ways, but for the most part I have associated the underlying message with the things we have learned in chemistry. I have had a lot of trouble coming in to terms with the meaning of the universe and finding significance to a life that may or may not be meaningful in the midst of the world. It has been especially hard to find content when I may never find a satisfying answer. This book has opened my eyes to a new perspective, and while it satirizes and critiques humanity, it also offers an answer. It suggests that humans construct lies to find meaning in life and even though that is a very sad reality to consider, I don’t know that it matters as long as you are able to find contentment within whatever you believe.
4. I would still like to understand the role of Ice-nine to a larger extent. I understand the gist of Vonnegut was trying to say as far as symbolizing the role of science in the world. From what I understood, ice-nine represents the way that science can get out of our control whether it was intended or not. I think he had Felix be the one to create ice-nine to show that we are naïve as to how powerful science can be, and once we apply science to the world, it is no longer in our control what the result is. Just because Felix was honored due to his impeccable knowledge, he did not know the morals behind what he was doing with the atomic bomb, or the potential of the ice nine. But why did Vonnegut choose to use this particular substance, “ice nine” to establish his message? I may be able to answer this question by reading the book again, to see if there is a key component that gives insight as to why he chose ice-nine. I also still have questions about the significance of Frank and his ant farms. While this was a relatively discrete part of the book, I am confident that it holds a deeper meaning. Again, I could find by reading it again, or by talking to Jessica about her theories regarding the ants in order to seek more insight.
Summary: The novel Cat’s Cradle written by Kurt Vonnegut, satirically critiques humanity through religion, science and technology. The book illustrates the meaningless substance that humans construct out of nothing.
Critical Reaction:
This book affected me in a number of ways, but in order to produce a concise reaction, I have narrowed the reactions I have had down to three main things. First, this book triggered a lot of questions concerning religion. After establishing the fact that Vonnegut is analyzing religion, I began to reflect on my own religious perspectives. While I was genuinely troubled by the idea that religion is essentially a group of people dedicating their lives to the belief of something that may or may not be true, I suppose I understood exactly how it could be interpreted like that. In fact, it shed both a negative and positive light on religion for me. It opened my mind to what religion may seem like to others or why some people choose not to believe in a religion, even though I felt like he was suggesting that those who are not religious are more in touch with reality. But at the same time, Vonnegut chose to perceive religious characters as happier people. This may have been suggesting that even though religion is a ridiculous concept and those who choose to conform are unrealistic, it is necessary to find content and happiness through things that may not be real, in order to shape your reality. Secondly, I reacted to the scientific aspect of this novel. In the beginning of the book, when it is primarily focused on the life of Felix Hoenicker, I found quite a bit of significance. Everyone respects Felix and worships him for his outstanding intelligence and his ability to create the atom bomb. The fact that Felix was only a brilliant scientist and incompetent in a social sense represents that you have to disregard morals and cannot understand the complete effect of what you are making when creating harmful science innovation. They also only applauded him for making the atom bomb, but never once recognized the horrifying effects that it had. This reminded me of the glorification of the U.S. and how a lot of people fail to acknowledge things beyond the glory. The third and final reaction I had to this book was the overall analysis of humanity. Vonnegut writes his book in a very unorganized and chaotic way, and I think he does so to make his point about the chaos and complexity of humans. The way he jumps around within the book, and makes commentary that you think is sometimes irrelevant, it is merely a reflection of how we are as humans. We are broad yet incredibly obscure individuals and this book provides explicit illustration of that claim. More so, as extreme and bizarre the book Cat’s Cradle is, it can be interpreted as an accurate reflection of religion, science, and humanity as a whole.
Seminar Reflection:
1. One thing that was brought to my attention during the Seminar was the significance of the title of the book. When debriefing, we collaborated to understand the importance of the cats cradle. The actual game of strings only displays X’s, yet it’s called a “cats cradle” implying that a cat and a cradle can be seen within the strings. I came to the understanding that this was a metaphor that Vonnegut uses to explain humanity’s way of analyzing things and creating meaning out of nothing. In the novel, Newt says: “Where’s the Cat, where’s the Cradle?” exemplifying the fact that we don’t actually know anything for certain, and that the cats cradle is a symbol for the lies humans construct out of meaningless substance. This was both enlightening, and disheartening. It is hard to accept or even attempt to come to the conclusion that life in general is meaningless, and everything people believe and live for is potentially a lie. But at the same time, it put things in to perspective. Perhaps it doesn’t matter if it’s real or not, why does it matter if we are content with our lives? Maybe believing in “happy little lies” is what living is all about.
2. One of the big questions that was proposed during the seminar was something along the lines of: Why is did the book end the way it did, and what is the purpose of the ending? The ending of the book holds a significant amount of meaning regarding the implications that Vonnegut makes about humanity. In Chapter 118 Vonnegut eloquently writes: God leaned close to mud as man sat, looked around, and spoke. "What is the purpose of all this?" he asked politely. ‘Everything must have a purpose?" asked God. ‘Certainly,’ said man. ‘Then I leave it to you to think of one for all this," said God. And He went away.” This passage from the book opened my eyes to the idea that there doesn’t necessarily have to be a purpose to life, and as humans we are able to come up with our own purpose and explanation for “all of this”.
The book both enlightened and perplexed my understanding of humanity in the sense that we will never know the truth of it, but it taught me that that is certainly okay. In Chapter 124 concerning Franks ant farm, the narrator states: “You tell me, you tell me who told these ants how to make water,” after the ants learn to cooperate with the ice-nine. I liked this quote in particular, because to me it exemplifies the mystery of mankind. We will never know who taught the ants to turn ice-nine back into water, nor will we ever know who taught us.
3. I have connected with this book in multiple ways, but for the most part I have associated the underlying message with the things we have learned in chemistry. I have had a lot of trouble coming in to terms with the meaning of the universe and finding significance to a life that may or may not be meaningful in the midst of the world. It has been especially hard to find content when I may never find a satisfying answer. This book has opened my eyes to a new perspective, and while it satirizes and critiques humanity, it also offers an answer. It suggests that humans construct lies to find meaning in life and even though that is a very sad reality to consider, I don’t know that it matters as long as you are able to find contentment within whatever you believe.
4. I would still like to understand the role of Ice-nine to a larger extent. I understand the gist of Vonnegut was trying to say as far as symbolizing the role of science in the world. From what I understood, ice-nine represents the way that science can get out of our control whether it was intended or not. I think he had Felix be the one to create ice-nine to show that we are naïve as to how powerful science can be, and once we apply science to the world, it is no longer in our control what the result is. Just because Felix was honored due to his impeccable knowledge, he did not know the morals behind what he was doing with the atomic bomb, or the potential of the ice nine. But why did Vonnegut choose to use this particular substance, “ice nine” to establish his message? I may be able to answer this question by reading the book again, to see if there is a key component that gives insight as to why he chose ice-nine. I also still have questions about the significance of Frank and his ant farms. While this was a relatively discrete part of the book, I am confident that it holds a deeper meaning. Again, I could find by reading it again, or by talking to Jessica about her theories regarding the ants in order to seek more insight.
The Monkey Wrench Gang: Poem and Artist Statement
Forgive Me:
I sit among canyons that echo in my soul
Penetrating my veins and pumping the blood through my body
I sit patiently waiting for the sun to approach the surface of earth
I sit patiently waiting for the water to return to its home in the canyon
I sit patiently waiting for a time that we live in unison with the land
I am humbled by the immensity of the natural world
And realize that I am just a speck on the earth
But earth is all of me
I now sit among the flowers
In a field of life and abundance
The flowers are planted in my heart and rooted in my mind
I say a farewell before leaving them
For I can’t ever be sure if they will be there when I return
Perhaps the next time I come, they will be covered with a blanket of concrete
With tires marks on their dainty pedals
I sit among water
And throw rocks into its body
The rippling circles that the rocks create, grow
As do I
The water is still
Yet it flows down into the unknown
I wave goodbye to the water as it passes me
For I cannot be sure that it will make its destiny to the ocean
It might be sucked up
And used for energy, instead of its beauty
These places live and thrive in my heart
But I feel as though I don’t deserve their magnificence
I apologize to the canyon, and the flowers, and the water,
For I am just as guilty of its demolition as the construction workers
I have benefitted from the ways we obliterate them
And have unintentionally perpetuated it
I am sorry, canyon
I am sorry, flowers
I am sorry, water
I am sorry, earth
I hope you can forgive me.
Artist Statement:
The thesis of this poem is that, even though I love and appreciate the beauty of the earth, I am inevitably adding to the cycle of its destruction. This poem applies to the novel because there is a continuous underlying sense of hypocrisy that Abbey highlights. He uses hypocrisy to communicate that we are all hypocrites of nature. The characters are raging environmentalists, yet they throw trash out of their cars and use a car to travel around. I hate the idea of exploiting nature for our own benefit, yet I take part in it by using a car, and taking hot showers. All of the energy and urban technology that I use feeds the cycle whether I like it or not.
My perspective of this clearly depicts my sorrow and disappointment of the destruction of nature. I do not feel worthy of its presence, nor do I feel like I deserve its benefits, but I use them anyway to continue the life style that I live. It is saddening to have this realization and I tried to have my emotion toward it reflect in the poem. The poem displays my perspective by using literary techniques that reveal my bias. I use repetition to get my message across in a straightforward way. I leave the poem on a distressing note, to make the reader realize the destruction that we have done thus far, and hopefully send the message of making change.
I have refined this poem and made it cohesive by using poetic strategize and connecting it to the novel throughout. I tried to set a theme with being in a place and then saying goodbye to it, and explaining why. I was inspired by the way Abbey realizes the hypocrisy of environmentalism, and was also inspired by Mary Oliver’s style of poetry. She has a good way of making sad things beautiful and highlights very simple parts of nature to enlighten the reader and bring awareness to their attention. I was also inspired by the idea of sense of place. It occurred to me that all of these places make me feel content in my life, yet I do not do a very good job at repaying it.
Seminar Reflection:
Reactions
1. Towards the end of the seminar we began to talk about the end of the book, and why Abbey ended it the way he did. It was mentioned that he ended I the book without the Monkey Wrench Gang destroying the dam because he is leaving it up to the reader. When I finished the book, I did not make that connection. Personally, I thought he finished the book the way he did for the sake of the book becoming too unrealistic. But I love the idea that he finished it that way because it would be too victorious for them to get away with that. If they were to have blown up the dam, it would have been over. I think he wanted to leave the reader with the idea that this battle is not over, and never will be unless we step up. The seminar discussed that this was Abbey’s way of passing on the responsibility to the reader. He leaves us with the dam still there, untouched, for someone who dares to monkey wrench with it.
Detailed Response
2. During the Seminar I asked the question, “How does living in the Southwest, and being familiar with a lot of the locations in the novel have more of an impact on you than it would have otherwise? How does this book sit with different people in different locations around the country?” I asked this question because I think that one’s location heavily effects how they read and understand this novel. Living in Southwest Colorado has allowed me to have a much deeper understanding and appreciation for Abbey’s work. The places he mentions in his book, I have visited and grown up around, and I am aware that these places exist and potential monkey wrenching is certainly a possibility. One quote that illustrates the appreciation that some of us have for the landscape if the southwest is, “There are some places so beautiful they can make a grown man break down and weep.” We understand this book on a different level because we have had the privilege to witness what Abbey is saying here.
For someone who lives in a more developed, urban area, I can see how this book would seem more fiction that it actually is. Abbey did make these scenarios up, but the difference between me, and someone living in New York City, is that I wouldn’t be surprised to see this kind of thing become more of a realistic situation. I am both grateful and sad about the alternative understanding that people from around the area may have. While I am happy to live in such a beautiful place and be familiar with the locations that he writes about in the book, it is a disheartening realization to read about what industrialization is doing to places near my home. For someone who doesn’t live near here, it is more of a far-fetched adventure, and an enjoyable read.
Connections
3. One connection that I made with this book was Ashley Carruth’s sense of place essay. A main theme in Abbey’s novel was hypocrisy, which Ashley focused on in her essay as well. It is important to understand the concept of hypocrisy when digesting the idea of ecoterrorism, or simply wanting to help the earth as a human of society. It is incredibly difficult to dedicate yourself to being an environmentalist because of the contradiction that it lends itself to. If you are trying to enjoy the beauty of a hike, you have to drive a gas-guzzling car to get there. If you are destructing a train in a power plant, that train becomes litter on the bottom of that canyon. Every act we make in an effort to fix the earth can easily backfire. This may seem disheartening but it important to be conscious of what we are doing. Both Edward and Ashley highlight the humorous hypocrisy of environmentalism and highlight that it is never as straightforward as we would like it to be.
Questions
4. A few questions that I still have are:
· If being an environmentalist is inevitably hypocritical and contradictory, what can we do to more effectively help our earth?
· Would blowing up the Glenn Canyon Dam do more harm than good?
· How do we fight against industrialization without taking it to this extreme?
In regards to my first question, I think I could find my answer by seeking out ways I can reduce the hypocrisy. For instance, if I want to enjoy a hike, perhaps I can ride my bike to a closer hiking trail. It would also be helpful to understand the extent of how counterproductive some of this is, it may not be doing more harm than good. IN regards to the second question, I could do more research on the importance of the Glenn Canyon Damn, and what would happen if it were to be destroyed. Lastly, in order to answer my last question, I could learn about how citizens have taken action in the past. How have we effectively fought against corporations like this and won? We must mimic these strategizes in order to find success.
Forgive Me:
I sit among canyons that echo in my soul
Penetrating my veins and pumping the blood through my body
I sit patiently waiting for the sun to approach the surface of earth
I sit patiently waiting for the water to return to its home in the canyon
I sit patiently waiting for a time that we live in unison with the land
I am humbled by the immensity of the natural world
And realize that I am just a speck on the earth
But earth is all of me
I now sit among the flowers
In a field of life and abundance
The flowers are planted in my heart and rooted in my mind
I say a farewell before leaving them
For I can’t ever be sure if they will be there when I return
Perhaps the next time I come, they will be covered with a blanket of concrete
With tires marks on their dainty pedals
I sit among water
And throw rocks into its body
The rippling circles that the rocks create, grow
As do I
The water is still
Yet it flows down into the unknown
I wave goodbye to the water as it passes me
For I cannot be sure that it will make its destiny to the ocean
It might be sucked up
And used for energy, instead of its beauty
These places live and thrive in my heart
But I feel as though I don’t deserve their magnificence
I apologize to the canyon, and the flowers, and the water,
For I am just as guilty of its demolition as the construction workers
I have benefitted from the ways we obliterate them
And have unintentionally perpetuated it
I am sorry, canyon
I am sorry, flowers
I am sorry, water
I am sorry, earth
I hope you can forgive me.
Artist Statement:
The thesis of this poem is that, even though I love and appreciate the beauty of the earth, I am inevitably adding to the cycle of its destruction. This poem applies to the novel because there is a continuous underlying sense of hypocrisy that Abbey highlights. He uses hypocrisy to communicate that we are all hypocrites of nature. The characters are raging environmentalists, yet they throw trash out of their cars and use a car to travel around. I hate the idea of exploiting nature for our own benefit, yet I take part in it by using a car, and taking hot showers. All of the energy and urban technology that I use feeds the cycle whether I like it or not.
My perspective of this clearly depicts my sorrow and disappointment of the destruction of nature. I do not feel worthy of its presence, nor do I feel like I deserve its benefits, but I use them anyway to continue the life style that I live. It is saddening to have this realization and I tried to have my emotion toward it reflect in the poem. The poem displays my perspective by using literary techniques that reveal my bias. I use repetition to get my message across in a straightforward way. I leave the poem on a distressing note, to make the reader realize the destruction that we have done thus far, and hopefully send the message of making change.
I have refined this poem and made it cohesive by using poetic strategize and connecting it to the novel throughout. I tried to set a theme with being in a place and then saying goodbye to it, and explaining why. I was inspired by the way Abbey realizes the hypocrisy of environmentalism, and was also inspired by Mary Oliver’s style of poetry. She has a good way of making sad things beautiful and highlights very simple parts of nature to enlighten the reader and bring awareness to their attention. I was also inspired by the idea of sense of place. It occurred to me that all of these places make me feel content in my life, yet I do not do a very good job at repaying it.
Seminar Reflection:
Reactions
1. Towards the end of the seminar we began to talk about the end of the book, and why Abbey ended it the way he did. It was mentioned that he ended I the book without the Monkey Wrench Gang destroying the dam because he is leaving it up to the reader. When I finished the book, I did not make that connection. Personally, I thought he finished the book the way he did for the sake of the book becoming too unrealistic. But I love the idea that he finished it that way because it would be too victorious for them to get away with that. If they were to have blown up the dam, it would have been over. I think he wanted to leave the reader with the idea that this battle is not over, and never will be unless we step up. The seminar discussed that this was Abbey’s way of passing on the responsibility to the reader. He leaves us with the dam still there, untouched, for someone who dares to monkey wrench with it.
Detailed Response
2. During the Seminar I asked the question, “How does living in the Southwest, and being familiar with a lot of the locations in the novel have more of an impact on you than it would have otherwise? How does this book sit with different people in different locations around the country?” I asked this question because I think that one’s location heavily effects how they read and understand this novel. Living in Southwest Colorado has allowed me to have a much deeper understanding and appreciation for Abbey’s work. The places he mentions in his book, I have visited and grown up around, and I am aware that these places exist and potential monkey wrenching is certainly a possibility. One quote that illustrates the appreciation that some of us have for the landscape if the southwest is, “There are some places so beautiful they can make a grown man break down and weep.” We understand this book on a different level because we have had the privilege to witness what Abbey is saying here.
For someone who lives in a more developed, urban area, I can see how this book would seem more fiction that it actually is. Abbey did make these scenarios up, but the difference between me, and someone living in New York City, is that I wouldn’t be surprised to see this kind of thing become more of a realistic situation. I am both grateful and sad about the alternative understanding that people from around the area may have. While I am happy to live in such a beautiful place and be familiar with the locations that he writes about in the book, it is a disheartening realization to read about what industrialization is doing to places near my home. For someone who doesn’t live near here, it is more of a far-fetched adventure, and an enjoyable read.
Connections
3. One connection that I made with this book was Ashley Carruth’s sense of place essay. A main theme in Abbey’s novel was hypocrisy, which Ashley focused on in her essay as well. It is important to understand the concept of hypocrisy when digesting the idea of ecoterrorism, or simply wanting to help the earth as a human of society. It is incredibly difficult to dedicate yourself to being an environmentalist because of the contradiction that it lends itself to. If you are trying to enjoy the beauty of a hike, you have to drive a gas-guzzling car to get there. If you are destructing a train in a power plant, that train becomes litter on the bottom of that canyon. Every act we make in an effort to fix the earth can easily backfire. This may seem disheartening but it important to be conscious of what we are doing. Both Edward and Ashley highlight the humorous hypocrisy of environmentalism and highlight that it is never as straightforward as we would like it to be.
Questions
4. A few questions that I still have are:
· If being an environmentalist is inevitably hypocritical and contradictory, what can we do to more effectively help our earth?
· Would blowing up the Glenn Canyon Dam do more harm than good?
· How do we fight against industrialization without taking it to this extreme?
In regards to my first question, I think I could find my answer by seeking out ways I can reduce the hypocrisy. For instance, if I want to enjoy a hike, perhaps I can ride my bike to a closer hiking trail. It would also be helpful to understand the extent of how counterproductive some of this is, it may not be doing more harm than good. IN regards to the second question, I could do more research on the importance of the Glenn Canyon Damn, and what would happen if it were to be destroyed. Lastly, in order to answer my last question, I could learn about how citizens have taken action in the past. How have we effectively fought against corporations like this and won? We must mimic these strategizes in order to find success.
Their Eyes Were Watching God Seminar Reflection:
Reactions:
It was continually mentioned throughout the seminar that the progression of Jody’s values as a woman grew throughout the book. Some students said that men were a part of Jody, and that she couldn’t live without a man. Other students disagreed and said that while Jody spent most of her life with men, she learned about herself throughout her relationships, and would have lived her life alone in peace if the book were to continue. My personal reaction to the idea of the book continuing is that she would live alone finally in peace with herself. Having the knowledge that she gained from every relationship she had, she has finally learned about herself. Others reacted to this by agreeing that her past relationships have ended up doing her a favor by teaching her about herself, and rising up beyond being a burden of men. Other students expressed the reaction that men defined her and that she was didn’t know what to be without a man next to her side. Both interpretations are valid in the sense that the author gave no explicit direction as to where the book might go next.
Detailed Response:
1. How has Janie’s grandma altered her life with men? Was it the grandmother’s initial forceful marriage that changed Janie’s destiny with men?
The initial force of marriage and the imposing values that Janie’s grandmother enforced seemed to have changed the plot of the book immensely. Janie’s destiny was continually being altered by the decisions she made and was forced into making. If her grandmother didn’t make her marry her first husband, than she wouldn’t have had to experience the longing for love that lacked in her first marriage. If she didn’t marry him, she wouldn’t have run away to find Jody, and if she didn’t grow unhappy with Jody, she would never have married Tea Cake. Janie had already known what she wanted in a marriage before she was married. Janie wanted love. The quote: “She had waited all her life for something, and it had killed her when it found her,” exemplifies the way Janie was devastated by the misunderstandings she had about marriage.
It seemed as though Janie’s grandmother put morals in to her head that negatively impacted the rest of her life. The vast chain reaction of relationships throughout the book can be correlated to the way the grandmother forced her into her first marriage. “You come head wid yo’ mouf full uh foolishness on uh busy day. Heah you got uh prop tuh lean on all yo’ bawn days, and big protection, and everybody got tuh tip dey hat tuh you and call you Mis’ Killicks, and you come worryin’ me ‘bout love” (Chapter 3). The grandmother makes it seem as though love is not an essential part of marriage for Janie, and this may have caused her to be conflicted about her future relationships from then on. On the other hand this may have been he best way for Janie to learn about herself. If her grandmother did not contradict her morals, Janie may not have been able to grow or understand love and life in her own terms.
Connections:
There are several connections that I made with this book, but the two most prominent connections were the civil rights movement and the movie “Twelve Years a Slave”. This book is undeniably connected to the civil rights movement in a way that, although slavery was over, black oppression and racism is still very prevalent and existed in Janie’s life. The fact that the court was relived when Janie killed Tea Cake, due to his skin color implies the existing racism. "Yeah, de nigger women kin kill up all de mens dey wants tuh, but you bet’ not kill one uh dem. De white folks will sho hang yuh if yuh do. Well, you know whut dey say ‘uh white man and uh nigger woman is de freest thing on earth.’ Dey do as dey please." This particular quote triggered was a straightforward indication that the author added racism as a theme of the book. This book reminded me of the movie ‘Twelve Years a Slave” because although slaves were free, and the black man was accepted in some parts of the U.S., the main character was still roped into being a slave in a free world. Much like people tell Janie to marry a white man and lighten the color of generations after her, and how they want wear her hair a certain way, and take advantage of her skin being a tint lighter. It all seemed very trapped to me. Even though Janie was technically free, she seemed incredibly trapped behind the influences of everyone else.
Questions:
One question I had about this book is “Why did Tea Cake have to die?” I think in order to find my answer; I must look past the plot of love and marriage and see the growth that the author wanted Janie to undergo as a person. Perhaps Tea Cake had to die in a brutal way so Janie could reveal her strength to herself and understands that she is independent and strong. Another questions I had was, “What was the significance of Janie growing up in a white home? “ This didn’t seem to show up later in the book a lot, so the initial introduction of the white family seemed a little unnecessary, because Janie was very aware of her race later on in the book. In order to find my answer, I think it is necessary to go back to the beginning to remember Janie’s experience of growing and learning about herself. Maybe acceptance and knowledge of her race was one of the biggest discoveries that she had about herself.
Reactions:
It was continually mentioned throughout the seminar that the progression of Jody’s values as a woman grew throughout the book. Some students said that men were a part of Jody, and that she couldn’t live without a man. Other students disagreed and said that while Jody spent most of her life with men, she learned about herself throughout her relationships, and would have lived her life alone in peace if the book were to continue. My personal reaction to the idea of the book continuing is that she would live alone finally in peace with herself. Having the knowledge that she gained from every relationship she had, she has finally learned about herself. Others reacted to this by agreeing that her past relationships have ended up doing her a favor by teaching her about herself, and rising up beyond being a burden of men. Other students expressed the reaction that men defined her and that she was didn’t know what to be without a man next to her side. Both interpretations are valid in the sense that the author gave no explicit direction as to where the book might go next.
Detailed Response:
1. How has Janie’s grandma altered her life with men? Was it the grandmother’s initial forceful marriage that changed Janie’s destiny with men?
The initial force of marriage and the imposing values that Janie’s grandmother enforced seemed to have changed the plot of the book immensely. Janie’s destiny was continually being altered by the decisions she made and was forced into making. If her grandmother didn’t make her marry her first husband, than she wouldn’t have had to experience the longing for love that lacked in her first marriage. If she didn’t marry him, she wouldn’t have run away to find Jody, and if she didn’t grow unhappy with Jody, she would never have married Tea Cake. Janie had already known what she wanted in a marriage before she was married. Janie wanted love. The quote: “She had waited all her life for something, and it had killed her when it found her,” exemplifies the way Janie was devastated by the misunderstandings she had about marriage.
It seemed as though Janie’s grandmother put morals in to her head that negatively impacted the rest of her life. The vast chain reaction of relationships throughout the book can be correlated to the way the grandmother forced her into her first marriage. “You come head wid yo’ mouf full uh foolishness on uh busy day. Heah you got uh prop tuh lean on all yo’ bawn days, and big protection, and everybody got tuh tip dey hat tuh you and call you Mis’ Killicks, and you come worryin’ me ‘bout love” (Chapter 3). The grandmother makes it seem as though love is not an essential part of marriage for Janie, and this may have caused her to be conflicted about her future relationships from then on. On the other hand this may have been he best way for Janie to learn about herself. If her grandmother did not contradict her morals, Janie may not have been able to grow or understand love and life in her own terms.
Connections:
There are several connections that I made with this book, but the two most prominent connections were the civil rights movement and the movie “Twelve Years a Slave”. This book is undeniably connected to the civil rights movement in a way that, although slavery was over, black oppression and racism is still very prevalent and existed in Janie’s life. The fact that the court was relived when Janie killed Tea Cake, due to his skin color implies the existing racism. "Yeah, de nigger women kin kill up all de mens dey wants tuh, but you bet’ not kill one uh dem. De white folks will sho hang yuh if yuh do. Well, you know whut dey say ‘uh white man and uh nigger woman is de freest thing on earth.’ Dey do as dey please." This particular quote triggered was a straightforward indication that the author added racism as a theme of the book. This book reminded me of the movie ‘Twelve Years a Slave” because although slaves were free, and the black man was accepted in some parts of the U.S., the main character was still roped into being a slave in a free world. Much like people tell Janie to marry a white man and lighten the color of generations after her, and how they want wear her hair a certain way, and take advantage of her skin being a tint lighter. It all seemed very trapped to me. Even though Janie was technically free, she seemed incredibly trapped behind the influences of everyone else.
Questions:
One question I had about this book is “Why did Tea Cake have to die?” I think in order to find my answer; I must look past the plot of love and marriage and see the growth that the author wanted Janie to undergo as a person. Perhaps Tea Cake had to die in a brutal way so Janie could reveal her strength to herself and understands that she is independent and strong. Another questions I had was, “What was the significance of Janie growing up in a white home? “ This didn’t seem to show up later in the book a lot, so the initial introduction of the white family seemed a little unnecessary, because Janie was very aware of her race later on in the book. In order to find my answer, I think it is necessary to go back to the beginning to remember Janie’s experience of growing and learning about herself. Maybe acceptance and knowledge of her race was one of the biggest discoveries that she had about herself.
honors book club reflection:
For honors book club, we were assigned three books throughout the semester. For each book we did a project, seminar, and seminar reflection. The first book that we read was "Cat's Cradle", this was my favorite book out of the three and my first introduction to Kurt Vonnegut. For this boom, I did a mini-documentation binder which is essentially a critical reaction of the book and the major themes that the author conveys to the reader. I enjoyed reflecting on this book and observing the themes that Vonnegut proposes in his book. It was unlike anything I have ever read before and the satirical theme that Vonnegut uses was endlessly engaging for me. The second book we read was "The Monkey Wrench Gang", I really enjoyed this book as a transition into our energy and place project. This book also holds a special place in my heart because it references a lot of the places that I have been privileged to visit in my life. For this book, I wrote a poem and artist statement for my project. This was my favorite project that I did because I enjoyed reflecting in the form of a poem. The last book we read was "Their Eyes Were Watching God", and this was the most challenging book to read because of the unique language in it. In retrospect, I am pleased with my decision to participate in the Honors Book Club because it gave me an opportunity to read significant American Literature, and discuss it with my friends.
Each of these books have had a profound impact on me and my perspective as a learner, but I think Cat's Cradle had the greatest impact on my understanding of the world, myself, and others. This book focused on religion and science, both of which have alway interested me. The way that Vonnegut used satire to observe the role of religion in the world, forced me to think about my own religious affiliation. The perplexing theme of science intertwined with religion in this book created a world of questions and contemplation for me. The way Vonnegut chose to introduce and present religion in this book helped me shape my personal views on religion. I was fascinated by the scientific aspect of the book as well, and his decision to create ice-nine was symbolic of the way science is capable go getting out of control and essentially overpowering the world. The characters in the book and the way each of them were so intricately portrayed led me to believe that every detail of this book represents something significant. I was moved by the unique writing style, character development, plot, and themes in the entirety of this book and I feel as though it has expanded my thinking and intellectual potential immensely.
I am very happy with my decision to participate in Honors this semester, and as a whole. Although it required perseverance, refinement, and additional time to work on school, it was well worth it. The biggest challenge for me was balancing honors work with the normal work load on top of extracurricular activities. i found myself enjoying the honors work just as much or more than the normal work in class so honestly, I didn't resent the extra work. In fact, the reading and seminars didn't even feel like work, I was happy that I was required to read because I wish I did it more often and then discussing it in a group felt casual but intellectual and insightful. Honors book club was an important reminder for me to read more. Each book expanded my perspective and I learned something about the world and myself in every book. I am now motivated to continue reading, reflecting and challenging myself to form new understandings through reading. Finishing out the year doing honors is probably the most rewarding accomplishment of junior year. The normal work load was overwhelming as it was and I am proud that I challenged myself to take a step further in my learning. I have grown as a learner and student more than I ever thought I would. I have learned to keep my mind open when being exposed to different types of literature. As a student and person, I feel more confident in my ability to overcome challenges and additional work, I feel more prepared to transition into Senior year having completed honors and it has assisted and propelled me in my growth throughout Junior year.
Each of these books have had a profound impact on me and my perspective as a learner, but I think Cat's Cradle had the greatest impact on my understanding of the world, myself, and others. This book focused on religion and science, both of which have alway interested me. The way that Vonnegut used satire to observe the role of religion in the world, forced me to think about my own religious affiliation. The perplexing theme of science intertwined with religion in this book created a world of questions and contemplation for me. The way Vonnegut chose to introduce and present religion in this book helped me shape my personal views on religion. I was fascinated by the scientific aspect of the book as well, and his decision to create ice-nine was symbolic of the way science is capable go getting out of control and essentially overpowering the world. The characters in the book and the way each of them were so intricately portrayed led me to believe that every detail of this book represents something significant. I was moved by the unique writing style, character development, plot, and themes in the entirety of this book and I feel as though it has expanded my thinking and intellectual potential immensely.
I am very happy with my decision to participate in Honors this semester, and as a whole. Although it required perseverance, refinement, and additional time to work on school, it was well worth it. The biggest challenge for me was balancing honors work with the normal work load on top of extracurricular activities. i found myself enjoying the honors work just as much or more than the normal work in class so honestly, I didn't resent the extra work. In fact, the reading and seminars didn't even feel like work, I was happy that I was required to read because I wish I did it more often and then discussing it in a group felt casual but intellectual and insightful. Honors book club was an important reminder for me to read more. Each book expanded my perspective and I learned something about the world and myself in every book. I am now motivated to continue reading, reflecting and challenging myself to form new understandings through reading. Finishing out the year doing honors is probably the most rewarding accomplishment of junior year. The normal work load was overwhelming as it was and I am proud that I challenged myself to take a step further in my learning. I have grown as a learner and student more than I ever thought I would. I have learned to keep my mind open when being exposed to different types of literature. As a student and person, I feel more confident in my ability to overcome challenges and additional work, I feel more prepared to transition into Senior year having completed honors and it has assisted and propelled me in my growth throughout Junior year.
Energy and place reflection
Essential Questions:
1. How does energy production impact place?
2. How does your sense of place, your environmental ethic, and your understanding of our energy needs influence your perception of human's use of Earth's resources and your own lifestyle decision?
1. How does energy production impact place?
2. How does your sense of place, your environmental ethic, and your understanding of our energy needs influence your perception of human's use of Earth's resources and your own lifestyle decision?
take action project: The Aspen Collective
Take action Project REFLECTION:
For our project we will be creating a group/program that uses social media and graphic campaigns to bring awareness of environmental organizations that are trying to help the earth. By advertising with stickers, Instagram, and a website with a blog, we will be showing the community that change is happening and how they can join. We will be putting QR codes in our logos/stickers that will allow for people to access our website/blog and our Instagram account. This will give people a fast easy way to see what our mission is and what we are up to.
Along with spreading the awareness on everything that is going on to save the planet, we will be looking into working with businesses and maybe even other companies to promote what they are doing and/or give them away to spread the awareness. This will be away to spread our branches and roots out into the community so more people know what's going on and so that they can learn about what they can do to help. Follow us on Instagram @theaspencollective and on the web at theaspencollective.weebly.com.
This project answers the question "How does your sense of place, your environmental ethic, and your understanding of our energy needs influence your perception of human's use of Earth's resources and your own lifestyle decision?" by promoting people to think about their environmental ethic. It is crucial that people have a solid understudying of our environment and what we can do to take care of it. If we know our environmental ethic, then we can begin to think about reducing energy resources in our own lifestyle and decreasing our carbon footprint. If we can identify the importance of our environment and individually shape our ethics regarding the environment we can gain better understanding of our energy production and lifestyle.
This project has impacted me as a human being living on Earth at this moment in history by understanding that I do have a voice and have the capacity to make a difference. Social media is such a great way for people to promote change and this project reiterated the idea that we can our community make a difference for the greater good of our earth. I have further developed my environmental ethic throughout the course of this project and that has altered my perspectives as far as what impact I have on the planet and what I can do to make my impact positive and helpful rather than harmful. It put a lot of my actions into perspective and I am more conscious of the energy that I consume.
Along with spreading the awareness on everything that is going on to save the planet, we will be looking into working with businesses and maybe even other companies to promote what they are doing and/or give them away to spread the awareness. This will be away to spread our branches and roots out into the community so more people know what's going on and so that they can learn about what they can do to help. Follow us on Instagram @theaspencollective and on the web at theaspencollective.weebly.com.
This project answers the question "How does your sense of place, your environmental ethic, and your understanding of our energy needs influence your perception of human's use of Earth's resources and your own lifestyle decision?" by promoting people to think about their environmental ethic. It is crucial that people have a solid understudying of our environment and what we can do to take care of it. If we know our environmental ethic, then we can begin to think about reducing energy resources in our own lifestyle and decreasing our carbon footprint. If we can identify the importance of our environment and individually shape our ethics regarding the environment we can gain better understanding of our energy production and lifestyle.
This project has impacted me as a human being living on Earth at this moment in history by understanding that I do have a voice and have the capacity to make a difference. Social media is such a great way for people to promote change and this project reiterated the idea that we can our community make a difference for the greater good of our earth. I have further developed my environmental ethic throughout the course of this project and that has altered my perspectives as far as what impact I have on the planet and what I can do to make my impact positive and helpful rather than harmful. It put a lot of my actions into perspective and I am more conscious of the energy that I consume.
reflection:
For this project we were assigned to write an essay about the place where we feel at home, how this particular place has shaped our environmental ethic, and how energy production has affected our place. Leading up to exhibition we did inspiration journals to begin the thinking process of using creative writing techniques to improve our essays. We also used these journals as a tactic to explore what our sense of place is. Over the course of the project, we learned about the harmful effects of energy production, environmental ethic, and the deconstruction of natural land. Personally, the sense of pace essay was an important learning experience for me, because it allowed me to think about my place in the world and how it has affected my life thus far. We did a second project called the “take action project”, which gave us an opportunity to actually make a difference about something we care about in the community or world at large. We were asked to simply create an action plan relating to our environmental ethic, and take action.
While writing this essay, I had a surprisingly hard time when choosing my “place”. One of my favorite things to do in life is travel, so when I was asked to pick a place to write about, I simply could not choose just one. Instead, I took a unique approach and used traveling as my place. For me it is not just one place in the world, but a collaboration of the places I have been to, and how each one has impacted me. I faced two major challenges in the midst of writing this essay. The first was adjusting to the unique style of writing that this essay was supposed to exemplify. Creative writing has never come naturally for me, and I have struggled a lot with it in the past, so composing this essay and revising the language was a big challenge. However, this was the first time that I felt myself enjoying this type of writing and in the long run, I felt more successful with the work that I produced because of the challenge it initially posed. The second major challenge that I faced while writing this, was the reflection of the places I wrote about in my essay. It was genuinely hard for me to write about a time that was so long ago, and a memory that I did not enjoy nor appreciate until now. I am happy that I was able to reflect and write about it because I gained more out of that experience than I thought I did, and I think it was important for me to remember that. After writing this essay, I feel more confident in my ability to write in different styles and feel more open about the experiences that I was skeptical to reflect on.
Coming out of this project I am mostly proud of my growth as a writer. As I mentioned in the previous paragraph, prior to this, I wad not confident in my creative writing abilities. My inspiration journals, and dedication to revision on my drafts paid off more than I had expected. The journals in particular, opened my eyes to different styles of writing and for the first time I was able to see the enjoyment in this type of writing. I have attempted to transform my writing into life. One line from my essay reads: “Enough water came out of my eyes to quench the thirst of the dry land. The tears played a game of tag down my sunburned cheeks, chasing one after the other until they fell to the ground. I was 10 years old and knew nothing of the world except for 4th grade, soccer practice and home.” This line exemplifies the way I showed the reader rather than telling. In my first draft, my essay lacked active verbs, expression, and liveliness. I changed almost every line that I was telling instead of showing, and I am proud of myself for the changes that I made in my final draft, and for the knowledge I took away from writing it.
My answer to the question "How does your sense of place, your environmental ethic, and your understanding of our energy needs influence your perception of human's use of Earth's resources and your own lifestyle decision?" has expanded a lot throughout this project. Initially, I didn't have a very defined environmental ethic, and I don't ever think it will be completely defines, because it will always in some way contradict itself. But I have gained the environmental ethic that we should be stewards to our earth and appreciating everything that it has to offer, from natural pan marks to diversity in culture, we should take the opportunity we are given and appreciate what is at the tips of our fingers. Since I am a firm believe in traveling, I have also gained an understanding of the importance of energy, after all, we have to get to a destination somehow. It is with boats, planes, cars and other modes of transpiration that make seeing our wonderful world possible, and I had never thought about that concept as deeply before this project.
While writing this essay, I had a surprisingly hard time when choosing my “place”. One of my favorite things to do in life is travel, so when I was asked to pick a place to write about, I simply could not choose just one. Instead, I took a unique approach and used traveling as my place. For me it is not just one place in the world, but a collaboration of the places I have been to, and how each one has impacted me. I faced two major challenges in the midst of writing this essay. The first was adjusting to the unique style of writing that this essay was supposed to exemplify. Creative writing has never come naturally for me, and I have struggled a lot with it in the past, so composing this essay and revising the language was a big challenge. However, this was the first time that I felt myself enjoying this type of writing and in the long run, I felt more successful with the work that I produced because of the challenge it initially posed. The second major challenge that I faced while writing this, was the reflection of the places I wrote about in my essay. It was genuinely hard for me to write about a time that was so long ago, and a memory that I did not enjoy nor appreciate until now. I am happy that I was able to reflect and write about it because I gained more out of that experience than I thought I did, and I think it was important for me to remember that. After writing this essay, I feel more confident in my ability to write in different styles and feel more open about the experiences that I was skeptical to reflect on.
Coming out of this project I am mostly proud of my growth as a writer. As I mentioned in the previous paragraph, prior to this, I wad not confident in my creative writing abilities. My inspiration journals, and dedication to revision on my drafts paid off more than I had expected. The journals in particular, opened my eyes to different styles of writing and for the first time I was able to see the enjoyment in this type of writing. I have attempted to transform my writing into life. One line from my essay reads: “Enough water came out of my eyes to quench the thirst of the dry land. The tears played a game of tag down my sunburned cheeks, chasing one after the other until they fell to the ground. I was 10 years old and knew nothing of the world except for 4th grade, soccer practice and home.” This line exemplifies the way I showed the reader rather than telling. In my first draft, my essay lacked active verbs, expression, and liveliness. I changed almost every line that I was telling instead of showing, and I am proud of myself for the changes that I made in my final draft, and for the knowledge I took away from writing it.
My answer to the question "How does your sense of place, your environmental ethic, and your understanding of our energy needs influence your perception of human's use of Earth's resources and your own lifestyle decision?" has expanded a lot throughout this project. Initially, I didn't have a very defined environmental ethic, and I don't ever think it will be completely defines, because it will always in some way contradict itself. But I have gained the environmental ethic that we should be stewards to our earth and appreciating everything that it has to offer, from natural pan marks to diversity in culture, we should take the opportunity we are given and appreciate what is at the tips of our fingers. Since I am a firm believe in traveling, I have also gained an understanding of the importance of energy, after all, we have to get to a destination somehow. It is with boats, planes, cars and other modes of transpiration that make seeing our wonderful world possible, and I had never thought about that concept as deeply before this project.
Native american study project
The purpose of this project was to understand the Native American culture and ideolgies in depth. We did this by choosing a Native American piece of writing, art, or other significant artifact in the Native American culture, and write a literary analysis about it. I analyzed a Ute Prayer called "Earth Teach Me", and incorporated quotes from Chief Seattle as well.
Reflection:
These historical experiences and ideologies have impacted their contemporary identities by alienating them from the norms of our modern society in terms of land ethic. The Native American culture contradicts a lot of the idealistic values that the average American has. According to Chief Seattle, indigenous cultures are incapable of "owning" land, unlike white society, where "owning" land is a sign of wealth and superiority. Their identity is skewed by the conforming pressures of American ideologies and is impacting the continuation of their tradition. The more Native Americans are exposed to a culture different then their own, the more likely that their traditions will slowly begin to disappear and their identities are put at risk of being altered.
Learning about the Native American culture was not only interesting, but important to learn because of where we live. Although I have felt some what immersed in to the Native American culture growing up because of where I live, I never have been able to understand it on the level that I understand now. Personally, this has opened my eyes to the ideologies of Native Americans and the prevalent traditions that still exist in their culture. Through analytical research and observing the Native American culture with various readings, I have gained an appreciation for their ideologies. Specifically, I focused on the relationship the Native Americans have with the earth. Through my research, I actually gained an environmental ethic of my own and a greater appreciation for stewardship for our earth, which was a smooth transition into our sense of place project.
wounded knee mini-project
For this mini-project, we explored the event of Wounded Knee and the many perspectives that have shaped the understanding of this event. We were required to analyze ten documents that each represented a different bias toward the battle of wounded knee. From this process, we were able to develop our own opinion and perspective regarding Wounded Knee. We then attempted to write an unbiased "textbook" passage about the event. We watched "Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee" in order to observe yet another perspective of the event, and wrote a film analysis about the movie.
Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee Film Analysis
Inevitably, the Indian removal act created vast amounts of tension between the Indian culture and the American culture. This tension resulted in both physical and cultural war. The film “Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee” and the multiple historical documents that we analyzed reveal the opposing Sioux and American ideologies.
According to several documents and the film, the Sioux Indians were not in favor of war. Initially, they were opposed to going to war and did agree to the treaty that the Americans proposed. The two ideologies also conflicted when it came to land. The Americans were aspiring to obtain the land that the Indians were in possession of. In order to do this, they forced the Indians out of their land with the promise of reimbursement in supplies. This act alone (of owning land) conflicts with the Indian ideology. In the film we watched, the main character Charles explains to Senator Dawes that owning land does not even exist in their language. He says: “There is no word in the Sioux language for owning the earth.” This quote stuck out to me because it represents the Indian ideology in a nutshell. The earth is not a material to them as it is to the white man; it is sacred and close to their culture. The other scene in this movie that expresses the connection to the earth that Indians have is the scene where an Indian officer is showing sitting bull the way they are now supposed to hunt bull. He shoots the bull inside the fenced area giving it no opportunity to escape. Sitting Bull looks at this with sorrow in his eyes because he is witnessing one of his own people practicing a very American way of life. This represented the effective integration of white ideology in Indian ideology.
Regarding the ideology of Americans, the American culture is less sensitive to the respect of the earth. We tend to alter the earth to our needs and change it into a man made product rather than using the resources that it already provides for us. In the movie, Senator Dawes who was told there is no word for owning land in the Sioux language responds by saying: “Well perhaps you should make a word for it then.” This response is both contradicting the Indian ideology, and promoting assimilation of White culture into the Indian culture. This is just the tip of the iceberg as far as disagreement goes between these two ideologies. It was white people who forced Indians out of their land for their benefit, and this alone says a lot about our perspective and ideology for the earth and the respect of others.
Another clash in ideologies is the belief of superiority that each culture holds. In the film, a white soldier was very aggravated when Sitting Bull approached him and informed him that they would have keep the chiefs in their culture. The agent at standing rock quickly disregarded the tradition of a Chief and told him that they would not have Chief’s and they would adjust their culture to have everyone be a normal human being just like the whites do. This was a disrespectful and ignorant claim to demand and exposes the dominance that the white man believes he has to the Indian. In the Indian culture, chiefs are viewed as sacred figures in the community and were not supposed to be average people. This sort of disrespectful demeanor towards each other’s values perpetuated more issues between the two cultures and resulted in a brutal battle, or as some documents refer to it as a massacre because of the unfair advantages that the whites had during the battle. The documented account of Black Elk, who was an Indian Chief, refers to the brutality and unnecessary behavior from the white soldiers during battle. “And it was one long grave of butchered women and children and babies who had never done any harm and were only trying to run away.” This account reveals the Indian perspective of the dominant behavior coming from the white soldiers.
The incompatible ideologies of these two cultures were unable to settle their differences. The refusal to accept one another’s beliefs resulted in a battle that has left a scar on the Indian culture to this day. Regrettably, the tension perpetuated from these differences got the best of the situation and the dominating force from the white culture imposed assimilation in the Indian culture in order to “fix” the differentiation between the two. The film and documents may not capture an unbiased recap, but nevertheless help us gain new insight on the ideologies of these two cultures.
According to several documents and the film, the Sioux Indians were not in favor of war. Initially, they were opposed to going to war and did agree to the treaty that the Americans proposed. The two ideologies also conflicted when it came to land. The Americans were aspiring to obtain the land that the Indians were in possession of. In order to do this, they forced the Indians out of their land with the promise of reimbursement in supplies. This act alone (of owning land) conflicts with the Indian ideology. In the film we watched, the main character Charles explains to Senator Dawes that owning land does not even exist in their language. He says: “There is no word in the Sioux language for owning the earth.” This quote stuck out to me because it represents the Indian ideology in a nutshell. The earth is not a material to them as it is to the white man; it is sacred and close to their culture. The other scene in this movie that expresses the connection to the earth that Indians have is the scene where an Indian officer is showing sitting bull the way they are now supposed to hunt bull. He shoots the bull inside the fenced area giving it no opportunity to escape. Sitting Bull looks at this with sorrow in his eyes because he is witnessing one of his own people practicing a very American way of life. This represented the effective integration of white ideology in Indian ideology.
Regarding the ideology of Americans, the American culture is less sensitive to the respect of the earth. We tend to alter the earth to our needs and change it into a man made product rather than using the resources that it already provides for us. In the movie, Senator Dawes who was told there is no word for owning land in the Sioux language responds by saying: “Well perhaps you should make a word for it then.” This response is both contradicting the Indian ideology, and promoting assimilation of White culture into the Indian culture. This is just the tip of the iceberg as far as disagreement goes between these two ideologies. It was white people who forced Indians out of their land for their benefit, and this alone says a lot about our perspective and ideology for the earth and the respect of others.
Another clash in ideologies is the belief of superiority that each culture holds. In the film, a white soldier was very aggravated when Sitting Bull approached him and informed him that they would have keep the chiefs in their culture. The agent at standing rock quickly disregarded the tradition of a Chief and told him that they would not have Chief’s and they would adjust their culture to have everyone be a normal human being just like the whites do. This was a disrespectful and ignorant claim to demand and exposes the dominance that the white man believes he has to the Indian. In the Indian culture, chiefs are viewed as sacred figures in the community and were not supposed to be average people. This sort of disrespectful demeanor towards each other’s values perpetuated more issues between the two cultures and resulted in a brutal battle, or as some documents refer to it as a massacre because of the unfair advantages that the whites had during the battle. The documented account of Black Elk, who was an Indian Chief, refers to the brutality and unnecessary behavior from the white soldiers during battle. “And it was one long grave of butchered women and children and babies who had never done any harm and were only trying to run away.” This account reveals the Indian perspective of the dominant behavior coming from the white soldiers.
The incompatible ideologies of these two cultures were unable to settle their differences. The refusal to accept one another’s beliefs resulted in a battle that has left a scar on the Indian culture to this day. Regrettably, the tension perpetuated from these differences got the best of the situation and the dominating force from the white culture imposed assimilation in the Indian culture in order to “fix” the differentiation between the two. The film and documents may not capture an unbiased recap, but nevertheless help us gain new insight on the ideologies of these two cultures.
Textbook passage and reflection
Tension between the Whites and Native Americans snapped on December 29th, 1890. The massacre at Wounded Knee took place after several years of disagreement between the two sides. The final physical dispute at Wounded Knee resulted in end of the ongoing fight between the two, but did not necessarily end in peace.
After moving the Indians to new land, and establishing it as land of their own, the Lakota were defenseless against other tribes and as a result, the government gave them protection from uniformed officials to stay on camp with them. The Indians were also promised (in a treaty) to be provided with full amounts of supplies, agricultural needs, cows, and other forms of resources in return for the land. Some sources claim that these obligations were not fulfilled by the government, while other sources claim that the treaty was broken by the Indians, thus they chose not to fulfill the promises. The moving of the Indians initiated the tension between the two, and the agitation between the two was perpetuated by the lack of obedience toward the treaty from either or sides. Nevertheless, the knife was twisted further with the Indians and whites at the time.
On the day of the battle, white soldiers entered the Indian camp to retrieve weaponry from the Lakota. During the duration of the exchange, a shot was fired from the Indian side, killing a soldier. This created open fire, and a violent response from the white side. The Lakota attempted to battle with the weapons they had but were quickly overpowered. Many Indians tried to run and hide during the battle, but most were killed. The soldiers continued to kill Indians including unarmed women and children resulting in about 200 casualties all together.
When the battle ended, Indian resistance ended as a whole. White culture was implemented into the Indian lifestyle by providing resources to allow them to immerse themselves into the American culture to a greater extent. Tribes were placed in separate reservations in order to make the transition into white society an easier process and to achieve the white lifestyle as a whole.
Reflection:
This assignment was an interesting approach to gaining more insight about the battle. Instead of just reading a brief overview of the event, these documents gave us information on how each side felt, and how it affected them, which is something that a textbook fails to give you. Although each source did have a bias, they were still immensely valuable pieces of information that lead us closer to an understanding. The process was tedious and required you to pull it apart, but this process was rewarding because after the focus and effort you put in, it reveals a new perspective that you can add the puzzle.
I see bias in my passage toward the white soldiers. It was more difficult than I anticipated because it was hard not to incorporate the heavy emotion that I have been analyzing for the last few days. I was able to keep it pretty neutral until the battle, but I that is generally where it was hardest not to be bias because of the undeniable circumstance of dead woman and children. I use my own ideology when talking about the implementation of white culture as well because it is difficult for me to see past the white culture trying to encourage cultural banality.
This inquiry has changed my perspective on the Native American culture, by gaining a new level of appreciation for their strength and unity as a culture that still exist when everything was going against them. My perception of the study of history has also expanded because it made me realize that we can never know the full history of anything. Everyone experiences things in a different way, so it is impossible to determine precisely how it went. I love that we have no capacity to what we can absorb and learn about history because we will never be able to learn enough.
After moving the Indians to new land, and establishing it as land of their own, the Lakota were defenseless against other tribes and as a result, the government gave them protection from uniformed officials to stay on camp with them. The Indians were also promised (in a treaty) to be provided with full amounts of supplies, agricultural needs, cows, and other forms of resources in return for the land. Some sources claim that these obligations were not fulfilled by the government, while other sources claim that the treaty was broken by the Indians, thus they chose not to fulfill the promises. The moving of the Indians initiated the tension between the two, and the agitation between the two was perpetuated by the lack of obedience toward the treaty from either or sides. Nevertheless, the knife was twisted further with the Indians and whites at the time.
On the day of the battle, white soldiers entered the Indian camp to retrieve weaponry from the Lakota. During the duration of the exchange, a shot was fired from the Indian side, killing a soldier. This created open fire, and a violent response from the white side. The Lakota attempted to battle with the weapons they had but were quickly overpowered. Many Indians tried to run and hide during the battle, but most were killed. The soldiers continued to kill Indians including unarmed women and children resulting in about 200 casualties all together.
When the battle ended, Indian resistance ended as a whole. White culture was implemented into the Indian lifestyle by providing resources to allow them to immerse themselves into the American culture to a greater extent. Tribes were placed in separate reservations in order to make the transition into white society an easier process and to achieve the white lifestyle as a whole.
Reflection:
This assignment was an interesting approach to gaining more insight about the battle. Instead of just reading a brief overview of the event, these documents gave us information on how each side felt, and how it affected them, which is something that a textbook fails to give you. Although each source did have a bias, they were still immensely valuable pieces of information that lead us closer to an understanding. The process was tedious and required you to pull it apart, but this process was rewarding because after the focus and effort you put in, it reveals a new perspective that you can add the puzzle.
I see bias in my passage toward the white soldiers. It was more difficult than I anticipated because it was hard not to incorporate the heavy emotion that I have been analyzing for the last few days. I was able to keep it pretty neutral until the battle, but I that is generally where it was hardest not to be bias because of the undeniable circumstance of dead woman and children. I use my own ideology when talking about the implementation of white culture as well because it is difficult for me to see past the white culture trying to encourage cultural banality.
This inquiry has changed my perspective on the Native American culture, by gaining a new level of appreciation for their strength and unity as a culture that still exist when everything was going against them. My perception of the study of history has also expanded because it made me realize that we can never know the full history of anything. Everyone experiences things in a different way, so it is impossible to determine precisely how it went. I love that we have no capacity to what we can absorb and learn about history because we will never be able to learn enough.
Rhetoric and ideology unit overview
For this unit we deconstructed America by analyzing rhetoric, and exploring different ideologies regarding our country. We reevaluated the standard knowledge of America we had prior to this project. When viewing the U.S. in a different lens, we were able to shape our individual ideologies and go into depth with our own ideological perspective through a rhetorical piece. We learned to critically think about our country and the rhetoric that is communicated in our society. This unit was very impactful because of the freedom and empowerment it allowed. It is very important to understand and be aware of the deceptive aspects of our society, and I am happy to have learned this content before facing the world as an adult.
|
|
Reflection
Rhetorical Discourse Project Reflection:
For the Rhetorical Discourse project we were asked to pick a topic of our interest and to create a rhetorical piece to present to an audience. The topic was supposed to reflect our ideology and an important issue that we see in our country. We were required to incorporate rhetorical devices and Aristotelian appeals to create a rhetorically effective project. We were able to go into depth with our topic of choice and construct a persuasive and informative message to deliver.
My project incorporated the Art of Rhetoric by testing ideas, discovering facts, shaping knowledge and assisting advocacy. It tested the misconception just because someone may make a lot of money, does not mean that they are financially stable. In fact, a lot of people who make a lot of money are living paycheck to paycheck because they continue to spend out of their means, and this is the kind of delusion that I wanted to make clear to my audience. My project discovered a lot of the statistics for why financial literacy should be implemented in our education system. These statistics incorporated the Art of logos and logical persuasion. The speech shaped the knowledge of the audience by informing them about the problem at hand, how it has detrimentally affected our economy and citizens, and what we need to be doing to change this. It assisted advocacy for the youth of America and anyone who wants to be a financially stable, and a capable individual with their money and financial future.
I was able to easily connect with this project because of the freedom we had to make it our own. Since I was able to choose an ideological perspective of mine, I was really able to engage with it, and put a lot of passion into it. At first I had a hard time narrowing down exactly what I wanted to focus on, but once I did I was able to work on the rhetorical aspect of the project and connect with something that I was adamant about. As far as the other topics we focused on leading up to this project, I connected well with most of them. It was really interesting for me to deconstruct and evaluate further on everything we have been told about our country thus far. It was not only impactful but also empowering. It allowed me to view the conventional prior knowledge I had in a more critical lens.
I selected a topic that was not necessarily rhetorical to begin with, so it was challenging for me to incorporate a rhetorical and ideological view to it. It took some time and researching to narrow down what exactly I wanted to tell my audience, and I also had a hard time finding ways to use pathos in my speech. This topic began very broad and finding a focus was definitely a challenge for me. If I had to do it over again I probably would have tried to develop a focal point sooner, so I could have done even more research and refinement to my final speech.
I have learned about the many forms that rhetoric can come in, and I have come to recognize the power of rhetoric as a whole. I have learned to appreciate and recognize other people’s ideology. I have also learned that the American experience can be viewed in an infinite amount of ways and I truly hope that I never close my mind off to the vast amount of view points, ideologies and ideas that rhetoric offers in regards to the American experience. As a young American I have hardly shaped a confined ideology and I hope to keep it that way. I do value an opinion, and ideologies, as well as passion in something you believe in. But, I do think that you should keep an open mind to other possibilities and question what you are being offered.
For the Rhetorical Discourse project we were asked to pick a topic of our interest and to create a rhetorical piece to present to an audience. The topic was supposed to reflect our ideology and an important issue that we see in our country. We were required to incorporate rhetorical devices and Aristotelian appeals to create a rhetorically effective project. We were able to go into depth with our topic of choice and construct a persuasive and informative message to deliver.
My project incorporated the Art of Rhetoric by testing ideas, discovering facts, shaping knowledge and assisting advocacy. It tested the misconception just because someone may make a lot of money, does not mean that they are financially stable. In fact, a lot of people who make a lot of money are living paycheck to paycheck because they continue to spend out of their means, and this is the kind of delusion that I wanted to make clear to my audience. My project discovered a lot of the statistics for why financial literacy should be implemented in our education system. These statistics incorporated the Art of logos and logical persuasion. The speech shaped the knowledge of the audience by informing them about the problem at hand, how it has detrimentally affected our economy and citizens, and what we need to be doing to change this. It assisted advocacy for the youth of America and anyone who wants to be a financially stable, and a capable individual with their money and financial future.
I was able to easily connect with this project because of the freedom we had to make it our own. Since I was able to choose an ideological perspective of mine, I was really able to engage with it, and put a lot of passion into it. At first I had a hard time narrowing down exactly what I wanted to focus on, but once I did I was able to work on the rhetorical aspect of the project and connect with something that I was adamant about. As far as the other topics we focused on leading up to this project, I connected well with most of them. It was really interesting for me to deconstruct and evaluate further on everything we have been told about our country thus far. It was not only impactful but also empowering. It allowed me to view the conventional prior knowledge I had in a more critical lens.
I selected a topic that was not necessarily rhetorical to begin with, so it was challenging for me to incorporate a rhetorical and ideological view to it. It took some time and researching to narrow down what exactly I wanted to tell my audience, and I also had a hard time finding ways to use pathos in my speech. This topic began very broad and finding a focus was definitely a challenge for me. If I had to do it over again I probably would have tried to develop a focal point sooner, so I could have done even more research and refinement to my final speech.
I have learned about the many forms that rhetoric can come in, and I have come to recognize the power of rhetoric as a whole. I have learned to appreciate and recognize other people’s ideology. I have also learned that the American experience can be viewed in an infinite amount of ways and I truly hope that I never close my mind off to the vast amount of view points, ideologies and ideas that rhetoric offers in regards to the American experience. As a young American I have hardly shaped a confined ideology and I hope to keep it that way. I do value an opinion, and ideologies, as well as passion in something you believe in. But, I do think that you should keep an open mind to other possibilities and question what you are being offered.
Economic Ideology
Edmodo Seminar Response: Just Economy:
In response to the question: “Is there a possible way to create a just economic system? What might that look like?” I have come to the understanding that a just economy is nearly impossible to achieve, but there are aspects that could be adjusted in order to improve the overall fairness of the economic system. Although the 1% is widely relied on to redistribute the money in our country, and perpetuate trickle down economics; a just economy should work for everyone rather than the privileged few.
A just economy would include multiple characteristics, particularly benefitting the majority of our country. So in order to create a just economy, we should begin with strengthening the middle class. “The core principle is that we want an economy that works for everyone, not just for a small elite. We want equal opportunity, not equality of outcome. We want to make sure that there’s upward mobility again, in our society and in our economy” (Robert Reich, 2013). This quote from Robert Reich advocates for an economy that is beneficial to the country as a whole and I firmly agree with his claim. Since the great reception, the economy has primarily served the elite in contrast to Robert Reich, and in a just economy, the economic recovery should be manipulated to benefit the majority, not just the elite.
The second characteristic in a just economy is the equal opportunity for everyone to get ahead based on achievement. This means that everyone in the United States should have access to equivalent education, in order to succeed. I read an article from the New York Times regarding the decreasing education rate in the country, and how we should be devoting our money and efforts to education rather than military to compete with countries. “A basic element of the American dream is equal access to education as the lubricant of social and economic mobility”(Kristof, 14). This article sheds light on the fact that a portion of the country doesn’t have the equal opportunity to achieve wealth and the benefits that the existing economy offers. Education is a fundamental element that plays a major role in being able to succeed in today’s economy, because of the high demand for knowledge in the current technology and other modern occupations. An equal opportunity is necessary because it allows those who wish to succeed and value hard work to achieve their goals without having a disadvantage to another.
The third characteristic to a just economy is abundant financial independence throughout the country. Everyone should be self sufficient and able to support him or her without government assistance. To achieve this characteristic, we must be more dedicated to education, including financial literacy. In addition to a traditional education, Americans must become financially literate. This aspect of a just economy would increase economic self-sufficiency. “To ensure we have the strongest, most globally competitive economy possible, our nation needs its citizens to be able to manage their financial lives well. To get there, we must make a commitment to raising the level of financial literacy among Americans”(Ferguson, 14). The answer is clear; it begins with education, practice and commitment to overcome part of the reoccurring financial issue in this country.
The American wealth gap continues to widen, and threatens our social stability. This tide must be turned and I believe the strengthening of the middle class, equal opportunity and financial knowledge are the missing components to what could be a much more just economy for the majority of the United States.
Bibliography:
"Video: Robert Reich on 'Inequality for All'" BillMoyers.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Oct. 2014.
Kristof, Nicholas. "The American Dream Is Leaving America." The New York Times. The New York Times, 25 Oct. 2014. Web. 29 Oct. 2014.
"Op-Ed: Improving Financial Literacy Is Essential to Our Nation's Economic Health | TIME.com." Business Money OpEd Improving Financial Literacy Is Essential to Our Nations Economic Health Comments. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Oct. 2014.
In response to the question: “Is there a possible way to create a just economic system? What might that look like?” I have come to the understanding that a just economy is nearly impossible to achieve, but there are aspects that could be adjusted in order to improve the overall fairness of the economic system. Although the 1% is widely relied on to redistribute the money in our country, and perpetuate trickle down economics; a just economy should work for everyone rather than the privileged few.
A just economy would include multiple characteristics, particularly benefitting the majority of our country. So in order to create a just economy, we should begin with strengthening the middle class. “The core principle is that we want an economy that works for everyone, not just for a small elite. We want equal opportunity, not equality of outcome. We want to make sure that there’s upward mobility again, in our society and in our economy” (Robert Reich, 2013). This quote from Robert Reich advocates for an economy that is beneficial to the country as a whole and I firmly agree with his claim. Since the great reception, the economy has primarily served the elite in contrast to Robert Reich, and in a just economy, the economic recovery should be manipulated to benefit the majority, not just the elite.
The second characteristic in a just economy is the equal opportunity for everyone to get ahead based on achievement. This means that everyone in the United States should have access to equivalent education, in order to succeed. I read an article from the New York Times regarding the decreasing education rate in the country, and how we should be devoting our money and efforts to education rather than military to compete with countries. “A basic element of the American dream is equal access to education as the lubricant of social and economic mobility”(Kristof, 14). This article sheds light on the fact that a portion of the country doesn’t have the equal opportunity to achieve wealth and the benefits that the existing economy offers. Education is a fundamental element that plays a major role in being able to succeed in today’s economy, because of the high demand for knowledge in the current technology and other modern occupations. An equal opportunity is necessary because it allows those who wish to succeed and value hard work to achieve their goals without having a disadvantage to another.
The third characteristic to a just economy is abundant financial independence throughout the country. Everyone should be self sufficient and able to support him or her without government assistance. To achieve this characteristic, we must be more dedicated to education, including financial literacy. In addition to a traditional education, Americans must become financially literate. This aspect of a just economy would increase economic self-sufficiency. “To ensure we have the strongest, most globally competitive economy possible, our nation needs its citizens to be able to manage their financial lives well. To get there, we must make a commitment to raising the level of financial literacy among Americans”(Ferguson, 14). The answer is clear; it begins with education, practice and commitment to overcome part of the reoccurring financial issue in this country.
The American wealth gap continues to widen, and threatens our social stability. This tide must be turned and I believe the strengthening of the middle class, equal opportunity and financial knowledge are the missing components to what could be a much more just economy for the majority of the United States.
Bibliography:
"Video: Robert Reich on 'Inequality for All'" BillMoyers.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Oct. 2014.
Kristof, Nicholas. "The American Dream Is Leaving America." The New York Times. The New York Times, 25 Oct. 2014. Web. 29 Oct. 2014.
"Op-Ed: Improving Financial Literacy Is Essential to Our Nation's Economic Health | TIME.com." Business Money OpEd Improving Financial Literacy Is Essential to Our Nations Economic Health Comments. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Oct. 2014.
Civil Disobedience
Civil Disobedience and Non-Violent Direct Action: Seminar Synthesis
In some cases, Civil Disobedience and Non- Violent Direct Action are sound methods for promoting social change. History has proven that these two methodologies have not only promoted, but accomplished social change in our country. Consequently, Civil disobedience and Non-violent direct action should only be used when worthy of the occasion. When an issue that is affecting a large group of people is being continually ignored, these methods are necessary to allow a voice to be heard, and to promote progression. Civil disobedience and Non-Violent direct action are sound methods for promoting social change when the cause is worthy and justified of these methods.
Civil Disobedience is the driving force of growth and progression in our country and is an effective way to diminish the influence that the government has on the country. “…But if it is of such a nature that it requires you to be the agent of injustice to another, then I say, break the law. Let your life be a counter friction to stop the machine.” This quote from Thoreau exemplifies the recognition of unjust laws, and the fact that it is our duty to create counter friction toward the influence of the government. He also acknowledges the fact that if you are doing the wrong thing because of a law, then it is justified to break that law for the greater good of the people. Thoreau also said, “I was not born to be forced. I will breathe after my own fashion. Let us see who is the strongest.” By this he meant that we are meant to challenge the laws that conflict with our morals, and even if there isn’t a national change made, you have more resilience and self empowerment than those who are content with obeying laws that they know are wrong. He also enforces the opinion that you must whole-heartedly live by the change you want to make. Thoreau illustrates the cases in which Civil disobedience and Non-Violent Direct Action are necessary and prescribed. The situations are worthy when you are not simply doing something for your personal benefit, but for an underlying unjustified issue.
Dr. Martin Luther King said that, “Freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed.” He advocates for the fact that it is necessary at times to disobey. If a group of people is continuously being ignored by an oppressive power, civil disobedience becomes essential in order for the group to make a change and to help the oppressive group see the situation in a different light. Martin Luther King also explained the outcome of non-violent direct action, “We who engage in non-violent direct action are not the creators of tension. We merely bring to the surface the hidden tension that is already alive.” This is another example of these methodologies being sound, because they bring the already existing tension to the publics attention, and this is when change is fulfilled. Rosa Parks didn’t create racial inequality; she simply broke an unjust law, which in turn brought awareness to the situation she and so many others were fighting against. She used Civil disobedience in order to publically present her opinion, while she was well aware of the consequences. The outcome of her disobedience created large amounts publicity, support and progression toward equality in the Unites States.
Civil Disobedience and Non-violent direct action can be considered as informal checks and balances to the power of the government. In the seminar Chris mentioned some of the principles that our government was founded by. He referenced Abraham Lincoln’s quote, “Of the people, by the people, and for the people,” and then analyzed it by asking why is it so hard for our government to listen to us if it is suppose to be run by us. In response to Chris’ comment Lia said that perhaps it is necessary that we have a government who doesn’t listen to absolutely everything we have to say. Lia’s comment made me think that the government ignoring some crucial issues in our country seems to perpetuate more ideas and progression within the country. It creates a power within the people and if enough people agree on having a particular law changed, civil disobedience and non-violent direct action are the tools we use change it.
In some cases, Civil Disobedience and Non- Violent Direct Action are sound methods for promoting social change. History has proven that these two methodologies have not only promoted, but accomplished social change in our country. Consequently, Civil disobedience and Non-violent direct action should only be used when worthy of the occasion. When an issue that is affecting a large group of people is being continually ignored, these methods are necessary to allow a voice to be heard, and to promote progression. Civil disobedience and Non-Violent direct action are sound methods for promoting social change when the cause is worthy and justified of these methods.
Civil Disobedience is the driving force of growth and progression in our country and is an effective way to diminish the influence that the government has on the country. “…But if it is of such a nature that it requires you to be the agent of injustice to another, then I say, break the law. Let your life be a counter friction to stop the machine.” This quote from Thoreau exemplifies the recognition of unjust laws, and the fact that it is our duty to create counter friction toward the influence of the government. He also acknowledges the fact that if you are doing the wrong thing because of a law, then it is justified to break that law for the greater good of the people. Thoreau also said, “I was not born to be forced. I will breathe after my own fashion. Let us see who is the strongest.” By this he meant that we are meant to challenge the laws that conflict with our morals, and even if there isn’t a national change made, you have more resilience and self empowerment than those who are content with obeying laws that they know are wrong. He also enforces the opinion that you must whole-heartedly live by the change you want to make. Thoreau illustrates the cases in which Civil disobedience and Non-Violent Direct Action are necessary and prescribed. The situations are worthy when you are not simply doing something for your personal benefit, but for an underlying unjustified issue.
Dr. Martin Luther King said that, “Freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed.” He advocates for the fact that it is necessary at times to disobey. If a group of people is continuously being ignored by an oppressive power, civil disobedience becomes essential in order for the group to make a change and to help the oppressive group see the situation in a different light. Martin Luther King also explained the outcome of non-violent direct action, “We who engage in non-violent direct action are not the creators of tension. We merely bring to the surface the hidden tension that is already alive.” This is another example of these methodologies being sound, because they bring the already existing tension to the publics attention, and this is when change is fulfilled. Rosa Parks didn’t create racial inequality; she simply broke an unjust law, which in turn brought awareness to the situation she and so many others were fighting against. She used Civil disobedience in order to publically present her opinion, while she was well aware of the consequences. The outcome of her disobedience created large amounts publicity, support and progression toward equality in the Unites States.
Civil Disobedience and Non-violent direct action can be considered as informal checks and balances to the power of the government. In the seminar Chris mentioned some of the principles that our government was founded by. He referenced Abraham Lincoln’s quote, “Of the people, by the people, and for the people,” and then analyzed it by asking why is it so hard for our government to listen to us if it is suppose to be run by us. In response to Chris’ comment Lia said that perhaps it is necessary that we have a government who doesn’t listen to absolutely everything we have to say. Lia’s comment made me think that the government ignoring some crucial issues in our country seems to perpetuate more ideas and progression within the country. It creates a power within the people and if enough people agree on having a particular law changed, civil disobedience and non-violent direct action are the tools we use change it.
Crash/ Racism Seminar reflection
Crash and Racism in the U.S.: Seminar Reflection
Racism, in its simplest form is the racial prejudice and systemic power to dominate, exclude, discriminate against or abuse targeted groups of people. But this seminar, and learning about this topic has allowed me to realize that it is much more complex than a simple definition. Racism is fear, confusion, anger and the profound grudge for ones racial past. With that said, I think that this movie provides evidence for the different definitions of racism and the how it is perhaps inevitability within each of us, by subconscious or conscious approaches.
Racism is alive and well in today’s society, and unfortunately it is often overlooked. After watching “Crash”, a movie focused on showing the other side of the stereotyping and racism in the modern day, I began to recognize just how relevant racism is in this day in age. “But my father doesn't deserve to suffer like this. He was a janitor, struggled his whole life... saved up enough to start his own company, 23 employees, all of them black, paid 'em equal wages when no one else was doing that… And then the city council decides to give minority-owned companies preference in city contracts. And overnight, my father loses everything; his business, his home, his wife...everything. But not once does he blame you people” (Crash, 2004). This is a perfect example of scapegoating; officer Ryan blames his fathers misfortune on Shaniqua, who personally, had nothing to do with the officer’s father. A common form of racism is to blame an entire group or an individual based on their identity. Earlier in the scene, the officer also assumes that the only way Shaniqua was able to get the job was through affirmative action.
A scene that exemplified the presence of Institutional Racism in our country was the scene when the Police officer pulled over the black couple and overstepped his boundaries and duties when handling the situation. This scene made me question whether the police officer would have inappropriately acted if it were a white couple that he pulled over. Or would he have pulled the white couple over to begin with? The fact that the police officers character was certainly racist, leads me to believe that he would not have pulled the couple over, let alone act inappropriately toward them in any way. This sort of behavior from government officials is one of the problems at stake in the fight against racism. These particular situations along with many others including the Michael Brown circumstance are perhaps due to some police officers feeling like they have more authority than they do. In the article “What We Know About Michael Brown’s Shooting,” Michael’s mother tells a reporter how she feels about the shooter: You're not God. You don't decide when you're going to take somebody from here” (McSpadden, 2014). Michaels mother sheds light on the ongoing issue of police officers believing they have more authority than the realistically do. It is not their decision nor responsibility to take the life of people who are not running the risk of harming the officer or other people, both of which Michael was innocent of.
Perhaps racism is an inevitable subconscious thought that is constantly in the back of our minds when we are faced with situations that provoke these thoughts. For instance in the movie “Crash”, Jean illustrates the subconscious mentality of white woman. “I just had a gun pointed in my face... And it was my fault because I knew it was gonna happen. But if a white person sees two black men walking towards her and she turns and walks in the other direction, she's a racist, right?” (Crash, 2004). This scene gives insight on both sides of the spectrum. On one hand she may have been stereotyping and being prejudice against them, but she was aware and in this particular case her stereotypes were accurate. On the other hand, these two people were two out thousands, and more times than not two black people would have been completely harmless, yet she still would have had a subconscious racial prejudice against them. Another example of subconscious racial thoughts and eventually becoming discriminatory behavior is when the Persian man attempts to buy a gun and bullets from a Caucasian gun salesman, and he refuses his service. “Yo Osama, plan the Jihad on your own time, what do you want... you’re liberating my country and I’m flying 747’s into your mud huts and incinerating your friends, get out!” This scene especially was a terrible realization of how quick to judge people can be and how when they are felt like they are small in a situation they jump to discrimination.
Racism might end by completely and fearlessly embracing each other’s differences and pasts. During seminar Lawson explained why he felt that becoming “colorblind” would not work. He said something along the lines of, “We are constantly trying to find differences between each other, something to make us feel more superior to the other.” I agree with Lawson completely, even if we all saw the same color, we would find something else to differentiate ourselves. We will not achieve the end of racism by becoming “colorblind”. We will always have differences even if we all see each other as the same color. So in order to put a stop to racism, discrimination, scapegoating, stereotyping and everything that plays a part in putting barriers between us, we must recognize and accept the people and diversity around us. Perhaps this is not a realistic solution to end racism but this is my vision of how we can end something that should have never begun.
Racism, in its simplest form is the racial prejudice and systemic power to dominate, exclude, discriminate against or abuse targeted groups of people. But this seminar, and learning about this topic has allowed me to realize that it is much more complex than a simple definition. Racism is fear, confusion, anger and the profound grudge for ones racial past. With that said, I think that this movie provides evidence for the different definitions of racism and the how it is perhaps inevitability within each of us, by subconscious or conscious approaches.
Racism is alive and well in today’s society, and unfortunately it is often overlooked. After watching “Crash”, a movie focused on showing the other side of the stereotyping and racism in the modern day, I began to recognize just how relevant racism is in this day in age. “But my father doesn't deserve to suffer like this. He was a janitor, struggled his whole life... saved up enough to start his own company, 23 employees, all of them black, paid 'em equal wages when no one else was doing that… And then the city council decides to give minority-owned companies preference in city contracts. And overnight, my father loses everything; his business, his home, his wife...everything. But not once does he blame you people” (Crash, 2004). This is a perfect example of scapegoating; officer Ryan blames his fathers misfortune on Shaniqua, who personally, had nothing to do with the officer’s father. A common form of racism is to blame an entire group or an individual based on their identity. Earlier in the scene, the officer also assumes that the only way Shaniqua was able to get the job was through affirmative action.
A scene that exemplified the presence of Institutional Racism in our country was the scene when the Police officer pulled over the black couple and overstepped his boundaries and duties when handling the situation. This scene made me question whether the police officer would have inappropriately acted if it were a white couple that he pulled over. Or would he have pulled the white couple over to begin with? The fact that the police officers character was certainly racist, leads me to believe that he would not have pulled the couple over, let alone act inappropriately toward them in any way. This sort of behavior from government officials is one of the problems at stake in the fight against racism. These particular situations along with many others including the Michael Brown circumstance are perhaps due to some police officers feeling like they have more authority than they do. In the article “What We Know About Michael Brown’s Shooting,” Michael’s mother tells a reporter how she feels about the shooter: You're not God. You don't decide when you're going to take somebody from here” (McSpadden, 2014). Michaels mother sheds light on the ongoing issue of police officers believing they have more authority than the realistically do. It is not their decision nor responsibility to take the life of people who are not running the risk of harming the officer or other people, both of which Michael was innocent of.
Perhaps racism is an inevitable subconscious thought that is constantly in the back of our minds when we are faced with situations that provoke these thoughts. For instance in the movie “Crash”, Jean illustrates the subconscious mentality of white woman. “I just had a gun pointed in my face... And it was my fault because I knew it was gonna happen. But if a white person sees two black men walking towards her and she turns and walks in the other direction, she's a racist, right?” (Crash, 2004). This scene gives insight on both sides of the spectrum. On one hand she may have been stereotyping and being prejudice against them, but she was aware and in this particular case her stereotypes were accurate. On the other hand, these two people were two out thousands, and more times than not two black people would have been completely harmless, yet she still would have had a subconscious racial prejudice against them. Another example of subconscious racial thoughts and eventually becoming discriminatory behavior is when the Persian man attempts to buy a gun and bullets from a Caucasian gun salesman, and he refuses his service. “Yo Osama, plan the Jihad on your own time, what do you want... you’re liberating my country and I’m flying 747’s into your mud huts and incinerating your friends, get out!” This scene especially was a terrible realization of how quick to judge people can be and how when they are felt like they are small in a situation they jump to discrimination.
Racism might end by completely and fearlessly embracing each other’s differences and pasts. During seminar Lawson explained why he felt that becoming “colorblind” would not work. He said something along the lines of, “We are constantly trying to find differences between each other, something to make us feel more superior to the other.” I agree with Lawson completely, even if we all saw the same color, we would find something else to differentiate ourselves. We will not achieve the end of racism by becoming “colorblind”. We will always have differences even if we all see each other as the same color. So in order to put a stop to racism, discrimination, scapegoating, stereotyping and everything that plays a part in putting barriers between us, we must recognize and accept the people and diversity around us. Perhaps this is not a realistic solution to end racism but this is my vision of how we can end something that should have never begun.