On the Reservation

An Indian reservation was an area of land reserved for Indian use. The first political leader to suggest this policy was Andrew Jackson. There are only 310 reservations in the United States today even though there are more than 550 recognized tribes. Life in the reservations is currently the hard. Many of the reservations are very isolated from the rest of the world. They live in poverty and are not able to support themselves well in the reservation. Many Native Americans dislike life in the reservation and eventually leave, when leaving they don’t just leave their family behind but their culture also. Native American culture has been lost over the years and they continue to attempt to recover what has been lost. America has become a great country since it has been started, but it is easy to forget that we have taken other people's land for our benefit. That is why Native Americans deserve the most respect because we took their land and gave them land somewhere else and they were able to live through that.

“American Indians have been found to be the poorest people living in the US. The country's 2.1 million Indians, about 400,000 of whom live on reservations, have the highest rates of poverty, unemployment and disease of any ethnic group in America.” –Peter Carlson

Propaganda 2011

Propaganda 2011

1.      ideas, facts, or allegations spread deliberately to further one's cause or to damage an opposing cause; also : a public action having such an effect

2.      the spreading of ideas, information, or rumor for the purpose of helping or injuring an institution, a cause, or a person

In 2011 propaganda is on a whole new level. It is in commercials, newspapers, on the radio and billboards. I see propaganda on T.V everyday especially since the mayor elections started. In the commercials the candidates try to convince you to vote for them because they are the right choice while at the same time tearing down the competitors. They run others commercials just to bash on the others telling us at home they won’t be able to keep your children safe and money in your pockets but they can if you give them the chance. They run these commercials to convince you not to vote for the other candidates and change your view of them. This is all propaganda, the spreading of ideas and influencing you just for a vote is one of the many forms of propaganda that we see today. I really hate commercials I think they are a big waste of time. I always record my show then fast-forward through the commercials. I guess propaganda doesn’t really effect me because I don’t pay much attention to it.

Beat Street Response

Beat Street was really interesting. I usually don’t watch movies from the 1900-2003 because most are unrealistic compared to the present and they have really bad graphics. Now my favorite movie is beat Street because of the insane pop-locking and break dancing despite the graphics and relevance. It was cool to see what clothes they wore in the 80’s. It seems as though they would randomly pick a shirt and some pants. Their combinations of clothes and shoes was fly but today I consider it a little crazy and outlandish. I remember a girl had on a blue fur, pink shirt, green pants, and blue shoes in the movie. Who would wear that? Not I! She looked really good but I wondered what my reaction would be if I actually saw somebody to day wearing that. I think I would just laugh and take a picture just to remember the moment.

While looking back on the past part of it showed up in my life yesterday. I saw an 8 track tape and player. When I saw it I asked my grandmother what it was and when she told me my eyes grew with excitement. I had never seen one in my whole life. We set it up and got it to play. It was like a blast from the past. Ancient!

Hungry for Attention

So now in class we are reading the book Black Boy by Richard Wright. So far in the book the main character Richard shows his need for attention. He seems like he’s just there and not really acknowledged because he is a child. In the book he sets the curtain in his house on fire basically because he was bored. By setting the curtains on fire and basically burning the house down he defiantly got the attention he has been yearning for. Another example of his addiction to attention is when he killed a cat to get back at his father. Richard’s sole intention was to get the attention and anger his father without getting punished.

Is Richard alone in his craving for hunger?

All crave some attention but people pursue it in different ways. Some have made themselves into celebrities, who have the attention of millions. Others are criminals who are on the news who also have the attention of many. Some people pursue attention in negative ways and others in positive ways.

Why is attention craved?

This question I cannot answer on the behalf of others but I crave attention because it’s boring to live in the shadows of others. I like to be visible in the spotlight, because of the feeling I get. When I’m in front of people on a stage I feel happy and at home. That is why I crave attention.

King Still King?

Dr. Martin Luther King is defiantly still relevant. Dr. King fought for equal rights and an end to racism. Still to this day you can say that people still don’t have equal rights and there is defiantly racism still in today’s modern society. Though racism is not as bad as it was it is still living. Its today’s society blacks are often looked down upon. It is not unheard of a person of a different race getting a job over a black person just because of their skin. Racism now is not only limited to blacks. Mexicans are also looked at the same way. There are also a lot of racist stereo types. For example, Asians are smart and black people are always late. In some cases especially in the south rights are secretly based upon their race. For example, if a black person got caught stilling would get a harsher punishment than if he/she were of a different race. He is relevant because his goals were not completely accomplished and we are still fighting his war against racism. If he was still alive I could see him speaking to people around the world about rights and racism.

Children of the Sea

So far the best passage we have read is Children of the Sea by Edwidge Danticat. I like to read short stories, books, novels, etc. This short story is formed through journal entries which are out of the ordinary and interesting. The journal exchanges are between two lovers separated from one another. Both the man and woman deal with difficult case scenarios that create much struggle in order to live. Although the story was fictional, it seemed like a first-hand account. The best feature of the short story is that it has meaning and an actual plot unlike like some stories (house of the seven gables). As you read this story it doesn’t get boring and has just enough action to make you want to keep reading. I also like the way the author says what she means and get straight to the point because some authors spend 2 pages describing something that could have been said in 1 paragraph. Describing something for 2 pages in most cases would make the reader board and want to stop reading. Usually I hate the things I read in school but this is one of the best stories I have ever read. Oh I forgot, another good thing about Children of the Sea is that it is very short!!

Winter beginings
frost covers the crisp grass as the sun begins to rise
your breath floats in the air
like a sweet cloud
coats,boots,sweaters, and christmas trees come from the underground
revived from the long summer
holiday lights make the city bright
the kids get excited
gifts,gifts, gifts
Winter has began