Q4 #3

WOW. We're almost done with 10th grade. I will have to say that i'm scared to death of starting IB, but at the same time i'm really excited. It like when you slowly reach the top of a rollercoaster knowing the impending doom, but the fall is really invigorating. This year I believe I have been well prepared to face IB. With all the projects and new tests, I've learned to manage my time the best I have ever in my life. If I were to give any advice to incoming sophomores, I would say to enjoy the ride of pain that you get. It is totally worth the exciement and satisfaction at the end. This year I have changed a lot as a person. It has gotten me to realize that there are important things that I value more than school, and it is happiness. Doing all this work has truly been a pain, but I have never been happier or ever been able to have such valued friends as I do today. Overall, I am really excited for IB to start. So let the ride begin.

Q4 #2

The image from the time magazine was something very disappointing for me. It shows that very little has changed since from the 1960s to current 2015. The way I interpreted the picture was that a black man was running from almost an stampede of policemen. The black man doesn't seemed armed at all, so he doesn't look like a direct threat. Also, he's covering his mouth and nose, which I think he did to protect himself from tear gas. This is very sad because it shows that not much has changed in terms of racial prejudice. This isn't helping the image of blacks or policemen. A lot of prejudice is present in our society because of something one person does. Its not fair that an entire nation of people get blamed for something one extremist person does. If one policeman does something morally incorrect, it is NOT justified to blame thousands of other people. People should only be responsible what they do themselves. They shouldn't have to deal with the hate that comes with the action they didn't do.

Q4 #1

McCarthyism was a phenomena that began post ww2. It is named after Senator McCarthy who allegedly accused Americans of being communist with little to no substantial proof. His accusations affected thousands of innocent lives across America. People lived in fear of being labeled a communist merely out of association or a far fetched connection. The movie 'Good Night, Good Luck' portrays the behaviors of Senator McCarthy relatively well when he accuses a man in the airforce of communist activities. Now, the term 'McCarthyism' is used to describe reckless and empty accusations. Much later did this behavior be deemed unconstitutional. The HUAC- House Un American Activities Committee- is an example of McCarthyism because they carried out the same behavior. McCarthyism effected the lives of people from all races and social classes, and it became a the topic of debate and conflict in the US post WW2. Such reckless behavior today would also lead to chaos and many problems as they did in the 1950s.

Q3 #1

The Gilded Age was a time ironically named. It was called this because on the outside many people thought it looked beautiful and perfect. But in reality, on the inside it was very different that what it actually seemed. The definition of being gilded means something that is covered in gold but on the inside is not what it seems to be. This age is also called the Industrial Revolution when it is looked at from a different perspective. The book The Great Gatsby focuses on a lot of the parties that go on. It seems as if everyone is happy and everyone wants to be part of it. The book is written from the point of view of a man named Nick Carraway. As he stands outside looking at Gastby's house and the party that is going on inside, he feels as if he wants to be part of it too. But when he actually gets inside he is very much bothered by what is actually like. Much of the Gilded Age has exactly this feeling. It is the reason why so many immigrants came to the U.S. The Gilded Age is an era in which luxury came about.

Blog 8

I believe that American public schools should not have the authority to teach "American" values in schools. This is because I believe that values come from experiences that a person can connect to. Since each student comes from a different background, they can't possibly have the same experiences. Without the same experiences, values will differ as well. For example, from the two sources from indian perspective, showed that one was ripped from her home and her family. She longed to be with them, but she was forced to behave like someone she was not. The other source stated that he was forced to do things he didn't understand. They weren't able to understand the reason why they were being taken. Their experiences did not explain beyond their own lives. Therefore they were not able to express the same values as the Americans that they were taken by. Overall, American schools should not teach values in public schools because the experience of one type of people cannot be used as a representative of all people.

Blog 7

Last week we had a rather intense discussion about whether slavery is something that can be made right in our current day situation. I think that this is a very important thing to discuss but not a realistic goal currently. What has been taken away from the Africans is something that can not be replaced: their identity. When slaves were brought to America, they were brought from all over Africa. They might have been brought with their family, but once they attend a slave auction, the families get torn apart and pulled away to far corners of the country. After such a long and intense separation, it will be difficult for a family to come back together. Future generations of these slaves wont be able to trace back their roots to their origins in Africa.
Even after freedom, it is not fair to this group of people that they have disadvantages because of a prejudice that has been instilled in their stereotype. Racism continues to occur all throughout America, not just in the South. No matter how hard a group of people try to eradicate racism, it will always be there because of the terrible mistakes by the white plantation owners.
Overall, I do not think that a wrong such as slavery can be corrected because the effects that are present are not like wounds where they can be healed, but they are scars that will last forever.

Blog 6

       This week we began reading texts during the time of Romanticism. One of the texts that we went over was "The Cast of Amontillado" by Edgar Allan Poe. In this story, a man by the name of Montressor attempts to murder a man that had been driving him crazy. His attempts were subtle yet wicked. He used the best interests of Fortunato against him. He took advantage of Fortunato's excessive passion for wine. I think that this reflects what Poe went through in his life. Throughout his life, he went through several calamities that effected him. For example, when he was young, the man that had taken him under his wing had several quarrels with Poe, so Poe tried to get as far away from his as possible. In the Cast of Amontiallado Poe portrays what the narrator tried to do in the same way that he attempted in his life. By murdering Fortunato, the narrator was able to keep him away forever.
     Overall, what a person experiences in their life will effect the way that they write. Poe is an example of exactly that.