I am most proud of this poem. It is a 'found' poem; meaning that it's composed of words and phrases taken from a story or any type of literature. I am very proud of this because I was really apprehensive about how it was going to turn out. In the end I ended up loving the message that I portrayed and how the poem flowed. If I was to go back and rework it I think that I would have made it longer. I would also research the authors story thoroughly so that I could chose words and phrases that optimize the message that I am trying to portray. Overall I gained a respect both for the author for whom I borrowed the words and phrases from and this type of poetry.
Here is a link to the poem;
http://humanitiesbethl.blogspot.com/2009/11/zitkala-sa.html
Sunday, December 13, 2009
Monday, November 2, 2009
Zitkala-Sa Found
I lost my spirit
Shuddering with fear
I heard footsteps near, loud voices calling my name
Steps quickend, voices excited
The sounds came nearer and nearer
The room fills with sudden light
I lost my spirit
Dragged out, kicking and scratching wildly
Suddenly tied fast in a chair
I cried aloud, cold blades against my neck
I lost my spirit
I had suffered, taken from my mother
Poeple had stared
I was taken from my mother
I moaned for her in anguish
No one came to me
No soul reasoned with me
I was taken from my mother
These words and phrases were taken from Zitkala-Sa's first hand accounts of her life in an Indian bording school. This is a found poem.
Shuddering with fear
I heard footsteps near, loud voices calling my name
Steps quickend, voices excited
The sounds came nearer and nearer
The room fills with sudden light
I lost my spirit
Dragged out, kicking and scratching wildly
Suddenly tied fast in a chair
I cried aloud, cold blades against my neck
I lost my spirit
I had suffered, taken from my mother
Poeple had stared
I was taken from my mother
I moaned for her in anguish
No one came to me
No soul reasoned with me
I was taken from my mother
These words and phrases were taken from Zitkala-Sa's first hand accounts of her life in an Indian bording school. This is a found poem.
Friday, October 23, 2009
Borders of Death
Two people die everyday from illegally crossing the border from Mexico into the United States. Many of these people are women and children; they cross to find work to sustain families and or to leave their own country for a better future. They trudge through the Sonoran Desert dying of dehydration, heat stroke, and sickness’s, led by “guides” or coyotes that only care about their own greed. Who is to blame for these devastating deaths? Blame can not be placed with just one person or one government. Blame should be thrust upon the United State’s government and the government’s of Central and South America. It is not the fault of one but many.
Two billion dollars are spent yearly by the United States government for border enforcement. Border enforcement in the last few years has multiplied by erecting new fences, increasing patrols and funding. Leading to thousands of undocumented workers crossing remote areas because these are the only places left unprotected. The United State’s government is partially to blame for illegal immigration. A new system of immigration needs to be implemented. One that enforces the restriction of legal immigrants to 300,000 or less per year. The system would also allow legal immigrant’s spouses and minor’s to cross into the United States legally, allowing the government to stabilize the U.S.’s population. These goals are part of FAIR (the Federation of American Immigration Reform), an organization advocating lower levels of immigration. This organization strives to reduce the number of illegal immigrants crossing the Mexican border into the United States. Leading to a reduction in the number of death associated with illegal border crossings.
Illegal immigration into the United States has been a leading cause of death for families from Central and South America. Left with no other opportunity they leave their homes in search of a better future for their families. Their government leaves them no other choice, by sustaining the less than mediocre lifestyle that these people thrive to escape. Third world countries with economies crumbling due to natural causes, political corruption, and unfair living conditions are only an insufficient amount of reasons as to why these immigrants are forced to leave. Ten years is an unacceptable amount of time to obtain citizenship when a family needs food on the table or clothes on their backs. Left with no other choice they hire “guides”, known commonly as coyotes. People who promise to take them to the United States safely and cheaply with legal papers. They spin a tale that plays on the hopes and dreams these people have for their families and their future. The coyotes however are only concerned with their payment and how fast they can smuggle drugs and or other illegal substances across the border. Many coyotes not only smuggle people across the border but also require these people to transport drugs either internally or externally on their person. The more responsibility the Central and South American governments act in changing the standard of living within their countries boundaries; the less we will hear about border crossing death tolls. This in turn will negate the number of associated deaths of family members killed by border patrols or left behind by coyotes.
Blame can not be placed on one country above another. It is apparent that the blame should be shared by all responsible parties; governments, peoples, and legal or illegal groups. It is an involved effort centering on the individual governments first, by setting new policies agreed upon by all parties involved. All keeping in mind the goal is to reduce the amount of deaths due to the illegal border crossings between Mexico and the United States and reducing the onslaught of a million plus legal immigrants. By changing the United States immigration policy we would have the ability to negate the illegal immigration and reduce the possibility of a collapse in the United States economy. With the help of the Central and South American governments creating new economies of scale, their workforce would be encouraged to stay and not immigrate. It has to be a joint effort on both sides of the issue. Only then, I believe people who want to immigrate to the United States will see no need to cross illegally but instead do so through legal processes. This will fulfill FAIR’s policy of 300,000 or less legal immigrants per year into the United States.
Two people die everyday from illegally crossing the border from Mexico into the United States. Each death represents a statistic that no government is proud of. No family benefits from the loss, nor does any country mentioned above. There is a way to make that statistic disappear. But it will take the conscientious effort by all involved parties. This includes changes in the United States immigration policy to reduce the amount of legal immigrants accepted into the country. Central and South American governments will increase the opportunities for their citizens by providing economies of scale. This would include more avenues available for their population to prosper. By making a change in the job structure the need for “guides” or coyotes would be greatly reduced if not depleted entirely. If a person has a job that sustains their family there is no need to immigrate, legally or illegally. FAIR would then have accomplished their immigration goal. I am not looking at who to blame but how each of us can solve this problem. I believe that if we start to work together a permanent solution will be found and the needless loss of life as well as illegal immigration will be at an end.
Two billion dollars are spent yearly by the United States government for border enforcement. Border enforcement in the last few years has multiplied by erecting new fences, increasing patrols and funding. Leading to thousands of undocumented workers crossing remote areas because these are the only places left unprotected. The United State’s government is partially to blame for illegal immigration. A new system of immigration needs to be implemented. One that enforces the restriction of legal immigrants to 300,000 or less per year. The system would also allow legal immigrant’s spouses and minor’s to cross into the United States legally, allowing the government to stabilize the U.S.’s population. These goals are part of FAIR (the Federation of American Immigration Reform), an organization advocating lower levels of immigration. This organization strives to reduce the number of illegal immigrants crossing the Mexican border into the United States. Leading to a reduction in the number of death associated with illegal border crossings.
Illegal immigration into the United States has been a leading cause of death for families from Central and South America. Left with no other opportunity they leave their homes in search of a better future for their families. Their government leaves them no other choice, by sustaining the less than mediocre lifestyle that these people thrive to escape. Third world countries with economies crumbling due to natural causes, political corruption, and unfair living conditions are only an insufficient amount of reasons as to why these immigrants are forced to leave. Ten years is an unacceptable amount of time to obtain citizenship when a family needs food on the table or clothes on their backs. Left with no other choice they hire “guides”, known commonly as coyotes. People who promise to take them to the United States safely and cheaply with legal papers. They spin a tale that plays on the hopes and dreams these people have for their families and their future. The coyotes however are only concerned with their payment and how fast they can smuggle drugs and or other illegal substances across the border. Many coyotes not only smuggle people across the border but also require these people to transport drugs either internally or externally on their person. The more responsibility the Central and South American governments act in changing the standard of living within their countries boundaries; the less we will hear about border crossing death tolls. This in turn will negate the number of associated deaths of family members killed by border patrols or left behind by coyotes.
Blame can not be placed on one country above another. It is apparent that the blame should be shared by all responsible parties; governments, peoples, and legal or illegal groups. It is an involved effort centering on the individual governments first, by setting new policies agreed upon by all parties involved. All keeping in mind the goal is to reduce the amount of deaths due to the illegal border crossings between Mexico and the United States and reducing the onslaught of a million plus legal immigrants. By changing the United States immigration policy we would have the ability to negate the illegal immigration and reduce the possibility of a collapse in the United States economy. With the help of the Central and South American governments creating new economies of scale, their workforce would be encouraged to stay and not immigrate. It has to be a joint effort on both sides of the issue. Only then, I believe people who want to immigrate to the United States will see no need to cross illegally but instead do so through legal processes. This will fulfill FAIR’s policy of 300,000 or less legal immigrants per year into the United States.
Two people die everyday from illegally crossing the border from Mexico into the United States. Each death represents a statistic that no government is proud of. No family benefits from the loss, nor does any country mentioned above. There is a way to make that statistic disappear. But it will take the conscientious effort by all involved parties. This includes changes in the United States immigration policy to reduce the amount of legal immigrants accepted into the country. Central and South American governments will increase the opportunities for their citizens by providing economies of scale. This would include more avenues available for their population to prosper. By making a change in the job structure the need for “guides” or coyotes would be greatly reduced if not depleted entirely. If a person has a job that sustains their family there is no need to immigrate, legally or illegally. FAIR would then have accomplished their immigration goal. I am not looking at who to blame but how each of us can solve this problem. I believe that if we start to work together a permanent solution will be found and the needless loss of life as well as illegal immigration will be at an end.
Friday, September 18, 2009
Test Results
So I partook in the Age IAT as well as the Race IAT. It was an assignment given by our humanities teacher. In this assignment everyone was to take two tests, the first was the Age IAT the second was for us to choose between either the Race IAT or the Weapons IAT.
These tests were different than the ones that I have taken before. It was very hard to do for me because through out the test it was continually changing. As soon as I would become accustomed to the sides that had good and bad or young and old, they would switch and my brain was not able to change that rapidly.
The result for both of these test did not really surprise me. i know, well for the most part, who I am as a person and what it is that I believe in. So going through the result I knew what to expect to see. The only thing that surprised was the relation between my right and left hands and as to which areas I did better For me on both test I did better when good was on the right and bad was on the left. I am not sure why but oh well that's how it was. Overall i think the test were interesting.
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
The National Breast Cancer Foundation: My American Icon
The American Icon project was very interesting to do. I learned different things throughout
the project, mainly centered around the three icons that I had originally picked. These icons were The National Breast Cancer Foundation, CERN, and Tony Sorensen. Each of these
people to me were iconic. The National Breast Cancer Foundation has helped men and women for 18 years now. By providing free mammograms to those who can not afford them as well as spreading the knowledge about breast cancer. CERN itself has been the leading organizations
for the research of high energy physics, with each new find they have furthered our scientific development. Lastly but not least Tonny Soeresen has created several new marketing styles and management styles since taking over the company Von Dutch. Each of these icons has taught me to work hard for what I believe in because in the end it will pay off.
During this project our Artist Statement went through several different drafts. The first being our rough draft. Once we had finished writing it one of our peers then critiqued it. This was helpful to me because the peer who critiqued mine was able to find a lot of the grammar mistakes that I had not noticed, as well as many of the spelling mistakes. After our second draft was completed we then had two of our peers critique our paper. During his my peers were able to let me know which sentences might have sounded weird or just anything I might have needed to fix. After all that revising our final copy was done.
At the end of this project I am proud, happy, and a little weary. I am proud because I feel I have accomplished everything I wanted to through my picture as well as my artist statement. I am happy because it is done and all my hard work has payed off. But I am also weary because the icon I chose (NBCF) is a widely known foundation and I want my project to do them justice. My picture is probably the most different one of them all and I hope that it does not offend anyone but instead brings awareness and hope.
the project, mainly centered around the three icons that I had originally picked. These icons were The National Breast Cancer Foundation, CERN, and Tony Sorensen. Each of these
people to me were iconic. The National Breast Cancer Foundation has helped men and women for 18 years now. By providing free mammograms to those who can not afford them as well as spreading the knowledge about breast cancer. CERN itself has been the leading organizations
for the research of high energy physics, with each new find they have furthered our scientific development. Lastly but not least Tonny Soeresen has created several new marketing styles and management styles since taking over the company Von Dutch. Each of these icons has taught me to work hard for what I believe in because in the end it will pay off.
During this project our Artist Statement went through several different drafts. The first being our rough draft. Once we had finished writing it one of our peers then critiqued it. This was helpful to me because the peer who critiqued mine was able to find a lot of the grammar mistakes that I had not noticed, as well as many of the spelling mistakes. After our second draft was completed we then had two of our peers critique our paper. During his my peers were able to let me know which sentences might have sounded weird or just anything I might have needed to fix. After all that revising our final copy was done.
At the end of this project I am proud, happy, and a little weary. I am proud because I feel I have accomplished everything I wanted to through my picture as well as my artist statement. I am happy because it is done and all my hard work has payed off. But I am also weary because the icon I chose (NBCF) is a widely known foundation and I want my project to do them justice. My picture is probably the most different one of them all and I hope that it does not offend anyone but instead brings awareness and hope.
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
Song
Looking for Space by John Denver
On the road of experience, I'm trying to find my own way.
Sometimes I wish that I could fly away
When I think that I'm moving, suddently things stand still
I'm afraid 'cause I think they always will
And I'm looking for space
And to find out who I am
And I'm looking to know and understand
It's a sweet, sweet dream
Sometimes I'm almost there
Sometimes I fly like an eagle
And sometimes I'm deep in despair
All alone in the universe, sometimes that's how it seems
I get lost in the sadness and the screams
Then I look in the center, suddently everything's clear
I find myself in the sunshine and my dreams
And I'm looking for space
And to find out who I am
And I'm looking to know and understand
It's a sweet, sweet dream
Sometimes I'm almost there
Sometimes I fly like an eagle
And sometimes I'm deep in despair
On the road of experience, join in the living day
if there's an answer, it's just that it's just that way
When you're looking for space
And to find out who you are
When you're looking to try and reach the stars
It's a sweet, sweet sweet dream
Sometimes I'm almost there
Sometimes I fly like an eagle
But sometimes I'm deep in despair
Sometimes I fly like an eagle,
like an eagle I go flying flying
Within this song there is a lot of symbolism. Some of the easy ones to spot are "Sometimes I fly like an eagle" which is refering to times when everything is going right and you experience some sort of elated feeling, not to the literal sense of an eagle flying. Another is "When you're looking to ty and reach the stars", this refers to trying to reach each of your goals or reaching as far as you can. Not literal reaching fo the stars, that would there super hot. There are no exac metaphors within this song although there is a simile. It is "Sometimes I fly like an eagle" refering agan to the happiness or some other "happy" feeling you recieve when everthing is going you way.
To me this song is a represention of where I am currently in my life. There are a few verses within this song that showcase this:
"When I think that I'm moving, suddently things stand still
I'm afraid 'cause I think they always will"
To me, this lyrics is saying that even when you are busy with many different things and it seems that all of the sudden they encounter problems or stop for some reason that that is ok. That it happens but its ok to be afraid of that.
"It's a sweet, sweet dream
Sometimes I'm almost there
Sometimes I fly like an eagle
And sometimes I'm deep in despair"
Alright this verse happens to be my favorite because it shows how life is. The fact that life has its ups and downs, good times and bad times. To me personelly, this verse starts out by saying its a sweet, sweet dream meaning that everything starts as a dream. Then goes to Sometimes I'm almost there, showing that you can reach and strive for your goals. Sometimes I fly like an eagle represents that sometimes you do reach your goal or its just been a plain good day. The last line in my opinion is what makes this verse a representaion of life. And sometimes I'm deep in despair, is the least happpy of the lyrics but in essence describes the truth, that in fact sometimes you dont always rach your oal that you dont always finish first or have a good day. That sometimes things just happen and don't work out. But you can't let that keep you down.
On the road of experience, I'm trying to find my own way.
Sometimes I wish that I could fly away
When I think that I'm moving, suddently things stand still
I'm afraid 'cause I think they always will
And I'm looking for space
And to find out who I am
And I'm looking to know and understand
It's a sweet, sweet dream
Sometimes I'm almost there
Sometimes I fly like an eagle
And sometimes I'm deep in despair
All alone in the universe, sometimes that's how it seems
I get lost in the sadness and the screams
Then I look in the center, suddently everything's clear
I find myself in the sunshine and my dreams
And I'm looking for space
And to find out who I am
And I'm looking to know and understand
It's a sweet, sweet dream
Sometimes I'm almost there
Sometimes I fly like an eagle
And sometimes I'm deep in despair
On the road of experience, join in the living day
if there's an answer, it's just that it's just that way
When you're looking for space
And to find out who you are
When you're looking to try and reach the stars
It's a sweet, sweet sweet dream
Sometimes I'm almost there
Sometimes I fly like an eagle
But sometimes I'm deep in despair
Sometimes I fly like an eagle,
like an eagle I go flying flying
Within this song there is a lot of symbolism. Some of the easy ones to spot are "Sometimes I fly like an eagle" which is refering to times when everything is going right and you experience some sort of elated feeling, not to the literal sense of an eagle flying. Another is "When you're looking to ty and reach the stars", this refers to trying to reach each of your goals or reaching as far as you can. Not literal reaching fo the stars, that would there super hot. There are no exac metaphors within this song although there is a simile. It is "Sometimes I fly like an eagle" refering agan to the happiness or some other "happy" feeling you recieve when everthing is going you way.
To me this song is a represention of where I am currently in my life. There are a few verses within this song that showcase this:
"When I think that I'm moving, suddently things stand still
I'm afraid 'cause I think they always will"
To me, this lyrics is saying that even when you are busy with many different things and it seems that all of the sudden they encounter problems or stop for some reason that that is ok. That it happens but its ok to be afraid of that.
"It's a sweet, sweet dream
Sometimes I'm almost there
Sometimes I fly like an eagle
And sometimes I'm deep in despair"
Alright this verse happens to be my favorite because it shows how life is. The fact that life has its ups and downs, good times and bad times. To me personelly, this verse starts out by saying its a sweet, sweet dream meaning that everything starts as a dream. Then goes to Sometimes I'm almost there, showing that you can reach and strive for your goals. Sometimes I fly like an eagle represents that sometimes you do reach your goal or its just been a plain good day. The last line in my opinion is what makes this verse a representaion of life. And sometimes I'm deep in despair, is the least happpy of the lyrics but in essence describes the truth, that in fact sometimes you dont always rach your oal that you dont always finish first or have a good day. That sometimes things just happen and don't work out. But you can't let that keep you down.
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