I Dream A World

The poem "I Dream A World" by poet Langston Hughes is such an amazing poem. Every person... every individual has their own point of view or opinion of what they would dream our world, and Langston seems to speak for the majority. In my opinion, I would want the world to be a place of peace and comfort. Never having that fear of a war and such things that are very similar. Also being able to feel accepted by all and never having to be judged or labeled, but obviously that is not going to happen any time soon.

I do think that somethings that do and are going on that we seem to be having issues with can be stopped and discontinued. In my opinion, a lot of adults act like little children who are very immature and have like no brains at times. I mean who cares what race, color, background, or anything else that people make a huge deal about and discriminate others by. Yes we are all different, yet still the same. It's the differences that make us unique and special. If everyone was the same our world would become boring. I haven't found one single person who eats the same food everyday or wears the same clothes. Most people like myself seem to like variety. After awhile you get bored and want something else.

I personally enjoy meeting new people of different cultures, races, and religions. That does not mean that I am going to believe like them or even dislike them. All it means is that I will except them for who they are. I haven't been judged for being different, but I have had friends and family who have gone through it. I think that it is one of the cruelest things someone can do.

There are a few powers that I have that can make my dream a reality. One is the knowledge that I gain in school and throughout life experiences. Without knowledge there is no power. Another is my voice, and not always literally speaking. For instance, voting for what I believe in and things that I believe are right. If you do not speak up, no one will ever know and you wiil never find out if it will make a difference. You can't just wait around and think that someone else will get things done. Like many people say,"if you want something done, you got to do it yourself." I've learned to find out how true it really is. I believe that every person has these powers weather or not they realize it and in the end we are all humans with different things that make us special and who we are. 

Race in America

My opinion about the current controversy which is surrounding the building of the Islamic mosque in New York City is that I personally think that they have a right to build there mosque. I mean the 1st Amendment of the Bill of Rights in the Constitution clearly states that everyone in the United States has the freedom of religion. Which obviously means that they do have the right to build it.

Now my other opinion is that they do not have the right to build it two blocks away or anywhere close to ground zero. I think that it would be very disrespectful to the people who were lost that day, their families and loved ones, and not only them but all Americans and our country.

I think that ever since the incident of 9/11 happened it has filled a lot of people with hurt and bitterness which for some has turned into hatred against certain religions and races. A perfect example of this is a pastor from Florida by the name of Terry Jones. He said that this year on 9/11 he was going to burn the Koran, which is the holy book of Islam. He felt that there needs to be a message across to the radical Islams. I think that they already know that they have done us wrong, but I do not think that Terry Jones needs to do that because it will create more problems and put all Americans at risk.

Another issue that is going on is the governor of Arizona who is against immigration rights and laws. She wants to send all immigrants back to where they came from and not allow any more in. She really made herself look bad because she has said that people have been beheading people of Arizona and that there are headless bodies, but everything has been proven to be a lie.  

The issue that ties all of these things together is race issues. People seem to not be able to get along with each other because of differences that they can't seem to accept and the problem don't seem to be getting better. Certain people seem to discriminate just because it is weird of new when they don't realize that they don't have to change or be like them...all they have to do is learn to understand and accept them. 

Cultural Underpinnings of liturature

The Juedo-Christian paradigm has helped shaped a lot of things in the Western Civilization. Almost everything can somehow relate back to it. Some examples of it are literature, science, history, writing, poetry and many other things. Certain cultures are shaped by this because many people follow certain traditions and beliefs which have somehow shaped Americans. For example, here in America most Christian people celebrate Christmas. Jew's celebrate Hanuka which is sort of like their Christmas.

An example of some stuff that is going on in the world is the Mosque that the Islam people want to build in New York. Some people don't want that to happen because the place where they want to build is near the place where the Twin Towers used to be. Others are saying that they should be allowed because of certain rights that our country offers. My personal opinion is that they have the right to build it, but I also believe that it cannot be within a certain distance of the Twin Towers. It is sort of like how certain places and stores cannot sell liquor or any alcoholic drinks by homes or around schools.

Another thing that is very similar is a Pastor named Terry Jones who said that on 9/11 he was going to burn the holy Islamic book called the Koran. He said that he wanted to get a message across to radical Islam saying that they can build their Mosque, but they have no right to try to make our people from our country believe in what they do and they cannot enforce their life style on Americans.

Also the Governor or Arizona wants to pass laws about immigration. She is trying to have all immigrants (Mexicans in general) sent back to where they came from. She has also lied because she has been saying that there have been beheadings which there is no proof that it is true. Another thing is that when she has been interviewed, the questions that she has been asked, she completely avoids them by simply changing the subject. By doing that she seems to not be a good communicator and the fact that she lied makes her look really bad to the public.

"Blue Moon"

This is the second book of The Immortals series by Alyson Noel. Everything seems to be going fine with Ever and Daman now that they are like inseperable. Now that Drina's not in the picture and Ever is learning about how to live and things that she needs to know about being immortal. Everythings fine until another new student arrives. His name is Roman and all it takes is one look from Ever and she knows that he's no ordinary human and there is something creepy about him.

"Evermore"

Evermore is a girl of six-teen who's family has died in a car accident. She almost didn't make it either, but she came back to life, but not as a normal girl. She found out that she had special  psychic powers because every time she touches someone she learns their whole life story. She also can see peoples aura colors depending on their mood and if that's not bad enough she also hangs around with her dead little sister. Just thinking about having powers like that may seem really cool, but not to Ever. All she wants is to have a normal and happy life like before the accident. At school she tries to drown out everyone with her ipod unless she's with her two friends. They're what you would call the outcasts of the school. Then a really hot guy named Damen tranfers to the school and has all of the girls falling for him. All except for Ever. She secretly does like him, but she don't to. She just wants to be normal once more. She finally can't control her feelings for him and they both end up falling in love, but Ever realizes that there's something strange about him. His charm, talents, and most of all the fact that he has no aura and when he speaks it seems to silence everyone elses thoughts and voices. For once in her life he makes her feel some what normal again. She's yet to find out that he's not normal, he's an immortal. 

Haiku

Life can be hard at times, but you have to push on and make it better.
It can sometimes seem like you are walking on a path of broken glass.

Through it all you have to keep walking forward just one step at a time.

Show and Tell

I have a lot of special things that are very important to me put they don't come to mind... all except for my dog "Nibbles" which everyone calls Huppies. She is black and part poodle and part chihuahua. When I first got her she was a small bundle of fur. She has always been really hyper and playful even until now. She's like a puppy who won't ever grow up. I've had her for a year and eight months now and she is always there to put a smile or just make me laugh by doing something funny. I named her "Nibbles" because she would always nibble on my fingers or toes, but my brother is the one who started calling her "Huppies". I'm not sure why he started calling her that and I didn't like it at first, but it grew on me and now I catch myself calling her that.

I was supposed to get her for my birthday which is in November, but my mom didn't have enough money at the time so I ended up getting her around Christmas time. I had been wanting a dog ever since my chihuahua "Rolly" died. I had had him for 14 years until my neighbors dog broke our fence and draged my dog out of its coller and killed him. I was so sad and I didn't want another dog right away because I was still very sad. When I was ready I had told my mom that I wanted another dog and she had spent months trying to find one. She had found out that her friend was selling puppies and she was actually going to get me a golden brown puppy, but she had sold it and told my mom that she didn't have any left. My mom was disapointed, but a few weeks later her friend called her and told her that she still has a black one left. So my mom had bought her and gave her to me after Christmas.

I don't like to say that she has replaced my other dog, but I love her just as much and she has helped heal the sadness. That is why she is very special and important to me and has a special place in my heart.