My Duty Poem

My Duty

Each man has his duty
To each his own
Do your duty to the best
It is important to never slack off
Because it is your duty to make this a better home

My duty is to learn
McFarland High has taught me well these past 12 years
But now it is my turn
It is my time to teach the next generations
Teach the young and old
The wise and the educated
The willing and the resistant
It is my duty to teach

My duty is to care
Care not only for my body
But care for my family, friends, and foes
I must also care for this planet
For this planet is my home
It will be home to my children and their children and so on
I will do what it takes to care for our world
Because it is my duty to care

My duty is to smile
Smile at all the things in life
Smile at the small things
And smile at the bigger things
If I smile, I hope you will smile too
And if you smile, then somebody else will smile
Therefore, it is my duty to set an example

Your duty in life is to figure out what your duty is
Once you have done this, everything else won't matter
Then you can help others find their duty
And you will feel complete inside
Because you know you have done your duty
And it is the next person's turn

Social Mobility

To other people, being American symbolizes having freedom; freedom to do what they want. The American dream has been a goal for many people their whole life. Social mobility is one advantage of living in America and should not be taken for granted. I believe that in general social mobility is alive in America and it is up to the individual to decided how mobile they will be. With hard work Americans can move up in the social system and prove wrong the theories of many people.

America is considered the land of opportunity, and thousands of people travel here every year to live out their dreams. Part of the American dream is hard work and dedication. Americans are known for their persistence and driving force behind accomplishing jobs. In the article by Sara Rimer in The New York Times, a young immigrant named Jinzhao travels from China to America to live out her dream of going to Harvard. The article talks specifically about the symbol of the green light in The Great Gatsby having the theme of possibility. Jinzhao provides the perfect example of someone who recognizes the opportunities America has to offer that other countries with social ranks cannot. Yasmina Shaush quoted in her article titled “This I Believe: The American Dream Lives On” that, “the United States is one of the few countries that can boast the successful by-products of hard work.” Rimer also cited Nicole Done in her New York Times article saying, For me the American dream is working hard for something you want. It’s not about having money.” To her, America represents hard work, which is exactly what is needed to prove that our society can be socially mobile.

America would not be known as the land of opportunities if we did not have stories of success like people moving up in social class because of their determination. Statistics show that their are people out there that have proved society wrong. Pew Charitable Trusts reported statistics that showed Americans raised in the bottom quintile were the most likely to have a higher income than their parents. They raised staggering statistics that 93% out-performed their parents. The trusts also put out a graph showing that Americans in the middle or fourth quintile had the best chance of moving up socially. The New York Times interactive feature also provided proof that Americans are capable of social movement. The feature showed that Americans in the top class had movement downward while Americans in the bottom, middle, and lower classes had movement up in rank. Society has put a stereotype on America that you have to be rich to do well in life. However, Americans have risen to the occasion and once again proved them wrong.

Even though articles have been published that say only the wealthy succeed and evidence has been provided, many of these articles do not substantially support their logic. In fact, it is the lack of evidence that makes these articles so easily believable. Almost always it is easier to read statistics that say, “the rich-poor gap in test scores is about 40 percent larger now than it was 30 years ago,” like Sean F. Reardon did in his articled titled “No Rich Child Left Behind.” Reardon’s article is laced with statistics here and facts there, but never does he give reasons to why these statistics are true. If Reardon spent most of his article explaining the science behind why rich children do better, readers would be put to sleep. Americans like hard core facts and that is what Reardon provides in his article. Other authors like Jonah Goldberg from American Enterprise Ideas express very specific examples in their writing. One example that Goldberg gives is of women whose fathers were doctors and how they couldn’t live up to their name. America is a determined nation and I think, with a little hard work, we can work to break down these stereotypes that have been put in place.

Social mobility is a topic that will forever be in America’s future. There is no way to deny that some people who are wealthy will be more successful than those who are not as fortunate. I believe that America as a whole focuses too much on the stories of the rich becoming rich, and too little on the success stories of the poor becoming rich. Through hard work and determination, we can move up on the social ladder and prove stereotypes wrong. There are success stories out there, it is just a matter of finding them.

Puritanism Today

After reading articles and essays on the views of whether or not America still exhibits signs of early Puritanism, I have decided that there are some aspects of our society that are similar to Puritan views, and others that are not. I believe that the basis of our views today came from the Puritans; however, our lifestyles have shaped those views into something new.

I think the aspects that the article written by Matthew Hudson, titled Still Puritan After All These Years, explored brought forth some very compelling arguments. The first one that caught my attention was the study he referenced that involved students solving puzzles and being primed to words related to salvation. The study concluded that students primed with salvation-related words were able to solve more anagrams. I do not know the specifics of this study, but I agreed with what was presented in the article. I think when the students were primed with those words, they had the mind set that God was watching them, and that they needed to set forth a good example. I also connected the study the article presented about judging people who act/dress more promiscuous back to Puritan views. The Salem witch trials provide a good example on how Puritans did not agree with some of the lifestyles chosen by certain groups of people. This idea also connects with one we studied in the Minister’s Black Veil. This essay was about a minister who wore a black veil over his face, but nobody knew why. We, as a class, concluded that he used that veil to show he admitted committing to sins and/or secrets of his life. However, we never find out quite what the sins are. I think this is similar to how Americans act nowadays because most people are afraid to admit to their sins. On the other hand, some people today feel that admitting your sins is necessary for moving on with your life. Other people talk about their sins in order to get help and fix their wrongdoing. In the end, I think the Puritans provided us with a solid foundation in which to build our believes from.

Some aspects of the Puritan way of life are not so prominent in today’s society. For example, in Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God, Jonathan Edwards stated that people who have sinned have no way to redeem themselves. Their fate was left up to God, and if God didn’t think you belonged in heaven, he sure wasn’t going to let you in. Calvinists like Edwards believed strongly in Predestination which is when you know if you’re going to heaven or hell the day you were born and there was no way to change your fate. In today’s society, I think people are more forgiving of others and willing to work towards making a right from a wrong. People commit their lives to helping others turn wrong into right, and I think this a big step for our society. The article on Puritanism in America today also mentioned how the Protestant Ethics Scale showed how much more racially unaccepting people in America are today compared to other parts of the world. I don’t think it is fair to judge just by your ethnicity or religion how racist or judgemental a person is. Other factors like immigration, family values, and personal experiences also build hatred towards other ethnic groups.

To say that everybody in a country is the same is not fair. To say that everybody in America acts just like their ancestors did 400 years ago is also not fair. I think that people are looking for a way to place blame for the actions of our country, and our ancestors were an easy target. I believe that our ancestors played a role in providing a basis for our moral values, but I also believe that other factors play a role. I do not think it is right to jump to conclusions without about our society as a whole.

Map Anaylsis

Virginia Map 1608

1. The first thing I noticed when I looked at this map was the word, Powhatan, written across the map. This signifies that the settlers knew they had come into territory already inhabited by somebody else. The settlers marked all areas known to be taken by different Indian Tribes by writing the names of the tribes over the area they lived in. This maps clearly shows the rivers and lakes, including the Chesapeake Bay,  that branch off what the settlers call Virginische Meer. This map seems to be written by John Smith himself. In the upper right corner stands an Indian holding some type of weapon. In the upper left corner is an Indian Tribe ritual. The Indians look to be inside a barn of some sorts doing something with fire. On a translated version of this map, I noticed that underneath the picture of the ritual there was a description saying that John Smith was held their prisoner. Also on the map was an English Coat of Arms.

2. From looking at this map, I can infer that the English settlers knew they had come into already inhabited territory. They knew the areas that were taken by the Indians by marking with tribal names. I also think that the settlers thought of the Indians as the enemy and bad guy. The ritual in the upper left corner shows Indians dressed more like animals playing with fire and smoke. They also included the Indian in the upper right corner with a weapon. This means that they saw the Indians as a threat to their settlers. Included on this map is red dots where the English had set up forts. All of these forts were located on the rivers, which shows that they were trying to use their resources to their advantage. The forts are also named and that shows that the settlers intended to stay and prosper. I think this map is different and similar to other maps. It is the same in that it depicts a growing sense of English entitlement. The coat of arms shown gives a sense of royal ownership to the land. I think this map is different than other maps because it includes the Indian tribes on it.

3. In the piece of writing by Babb, Mrs. Babb frequently refers to the English thinking they have a divine right to this new land. I think the map that I found shows this really well. One quote that sums up the map I found talks about how some earlier maps have Indian tribes on them, but as time goes on, the Indian tribes slowly fade off the maps, which shows how the English grew imperialistically. “What this map displays is a land is not yet English, one still the domain of its native peoples. Maps in subsequent Smith works portray growing English imperialism, however.”

Presidential Inaugural Address Analysis

It was very intriguing to me to look at the words used by the Presidents of the United States in their inaugural addresses. I think the words they chose to use reflect the spirit and ideals of the country at the time. The one thing that caught my attention when looking over the words most frequently used was the most used words of our first President, George Washington, and our current president, Barack Obama. I noticed that Mr. Obama used words like nation, America, people, and work most frequently. On the other hand, Mr. Washington used government, and public the most. I think these words reflect the feelings of Americans during their time.

I found it very interesting that when the country first started the president was using words like government and public in his address. This shows how much impact the government had on the people, and possibly how much the people respected the government back then. When immigrants first came to America, the fled for religious reasons. They did not like how the King of England had become so powerful, so I was a little shocked to notice how much government played a role in their lives. I think Mr. Obama used words like nation, and America to try and bring people together more. Nowadays some people have strong views on how much government should play a role in our lives, and I think Mr. Obama was trying to capture the hearts of people of all different views in his speech.

By looking at the words in the different Presidential Inaugural Addresses, I could draw many conclusions about the feelings of government during that time. It is interesting to note the different trends in the addresses of different time periods. I think the status of government plays a huge role on what words the President chooses to use in his address. It will be interesting to see what future Presidents choose to say in their addresses.

Film Analysis

One strategy that the movie producers used in the film Apocalypse Now was the music and sounds they used in the opening scene of this movie. It starts off with really dark music and then the next thing you hear is a helicopter that sounds like its flying very close.  This sound of a chopper quickly turns into sad, funeral like music. The scenes change and the sounds switch back and forth between the depressing music and the obnoxious chopping of the chopper. Since the music is gloomy, viewers get the sense that whatever is happening in the film is not good. That matches with what can be seen since what is portrayed is very secretive. The shots with the sad music focus on a field being burned, while the shots with the chopper sounds show a man’s face. I thought the chopping sounded a lot like a heart thumping very rapidly.  When the scene was over it made sense that there would be a heart thumping because the man gets up and says, “Shit, I’m still in Sai Gon.” By putting those two elements together, it made sense that he would be upset that he is still in this city that he clearly does not want to be in.

Another important feature the film producers included in this film is the element of camera shots. They used mostly close shots when focusing on the guy lying in bed. This only added to the sense of unknown in the opening scene because you could not see what was around the man or why he was upside down on the screen. I think the producers combined this element with the thumping heart beat music to add a sense of anticipation and mystery to the scene. They also used unique camera shots when the film showed the forest on fire. The camera makes the viewer seem like they are standing on the ground looking at the forest. All of the sudden the bottom of the helicopter flies over you making it seem like you are actually in the film. All together the music and camera angles combine to make a very mysterious opening scene.

Cochlear Implants

Cochlear implants raise many controversial issues in today’s society. After thinking over what I would do if I had a child that was born deaf, I decided that I would give my child the implant. Many people may not agree with this choice, but I believe it would be the best for the child in today’s world.                  One of the reasons I think that these would be more beneficial to a child than just a hearing aid or no help at all is because in the world today the deaf community is becoming less and less prominent. It would be hard to find quality education for children who need to be signed to. Heather’s parents had to move cities just to find a school that would accommodate her deafness. Not every family is able to relocate to find a deaf school. The implant gives the child the opportunity to live like every other child, but still embrace deafness.  I also feel like they would not fit in with the community. Not many people know how to sign, and the few that do, are scattered. I believe it would be hard to communicate with those who do not know sign language. I still believe, however, that a child who is born deaf should be taught sign language. This will help to keep the deaf community alive. Deaf people who chose not to get the implant don’t want their community of deaf people to go extinct. They want to know why hearing people have a problem with people being deaf. I don’t think that people necessarily have a problem with people who are deaf, I just think that the world is changing and today’s lifestyle doesn’t accommodate for deafness as well as it did in the past.

 I would also want to give my child every opportunity that he or she could ever want. It is sometimes not reasonable to have an interpreter by your side for every action done at your job. The economy is tight today, and employers are looking to hire the least amount of people possible. Hiring a deaf person would most likely mean hiring an interpreter for that person as well. However, then the company would have to pay two people instead of one. I am not saying that employers would always discriminate against the deaf. I just think that it would be more of a hassle, and people today want to go the easy route.

If I were to implant my child I would have a few criteria that I would follow. First, I would implant them at a young age so that they have the best chance of speaking. It is also easier to learn language at a younger age. The deaf community, however, is worried that kids with speech only focus on speaking, not signing. I can see where they are coming from. I personally find that to be true. It is hard to learn how to speak and sign at the same time. The brain will get confused. That is why I propose that you implant the child at a young age and let their speech develop nicely. Then, when they have mastered having the implant, teach them sign language to let them know what kind of community they are also a part of. Teach them about the condition that they were born with. That way the language of signing can be kept alive, and those who are against the implant can still feel like they can function normally.

I can fully understand where the people of the deaf culture are coming from. I, too, would be offended if my child was born deaf, like me, and wanted to get the implant. I would wonder if I wasn’t good enough for him or her. I would also be offended that hearing people would think that I couldn’t find work that was suitable for me. I understand all of their concerns. However, I feel like for a child to be born deaf in today’s world, he or she would struggle. He or she would struggle socially as well as academically. I would certainly consider leaving my child deaf in we lived in a different world. There are just too many people going to implants that sign language is becoming less known and harder to come by. With these reasons in mind, I would choose to have my child implanted.