Taliban Photo Essay

Chaeli Mycroft: International Children's Peace Prize winer

For the first six years of her life, Michaela Mycroft had lived a disadvantaged life, born with a condition that limits her movements of her limbs. Chaeli (as her friends and family calls her), at the age of seven, started a campaign to raise money with her friends and family so she could buy a motorized wheelchair. Knowing how difficult it is to be disabled, and driven by the hope of helping others achieve equality, Chaeli expanded her campaign to help raise money to buy wheelchairs and other prosthetics for other disabled children, and to give peer support to each other. Michaela Mycroft  is a seventeen year old girl, who had won the International Children’s Peace prize in 2011, for her successful attempts at achieving equality and fighting for hope for disabled children.

Ever since her birth, Chaeli has been struggling with fitting in, due to her disabilities with her limbs. She strived to be equal to others, to overcome her own difficulties. With the help of her family and friends, she achieved so, buying a motorized wheelchair to help her get around with ease.  “I think we need to make a conscious decision to see the light in every person we meet. I think we need to be more positive about each other. If we see the light in each other, I believe we would live in a much brighter world,” (2) said Chaeli during one of her interviews. Instead of feeling satisfied, and continuing her life, Chaeli wanted more. She wanted to help other children with disabilities to overcome the same obstacles she did, and for everybody to see that everybody could be equal, and so started the Chaeli Campaign. The Chaeli Campaign raises money to buy prosthetics and wheelchairs for children who need them, and more importantly, it was like a beacon of hope, a place where these people, however maimed or handicapped can band together, providing moral support to each other.

Along with moral support and access to ways to become equal, Chaeli has also been striving for hope. She hoped that she would be able to help others, and in turn, have them also hope for each other, to hope for what they deserve.  “Hope is what keeps us going,” Chaeli said in her speech. “It’s what keeps us striving for the lives we deserve. I have hope for myself, but I also have hope for all other children with disabilities. I hope that my actions as an ability activist will leave the world more accepting and more” (2). She hopes to inspire a way of thinking, like the one she had gone through herself, she doesn’t see her handicap as a disadvantage, but as a doorway to possibilities- and ultimately as something she fights for.

So what has Chaeli been doing? Where others feel sorry for her, she sees a fire that fuels her revolution. She not only accomplished and overcame challenges of her own, and also started an organization to help others do the same thing. Chaeli had been fighting, and she fights for equality, and she fights to inspire others into overcoming their challenges, and most importantly, she fights to inspire hope in other people. Chaeli fought, to help others going through that miserable first six years of her life.

sources used: 

1 http://childrenspeaceprize.org/childrens-peace-price/2011-chaeli-mycroft/

2 http://www.kidsrights.org/InternationalChildrensPeacePrize/Winners.aspx

3 http://childrenspeaceprize.org/

Harrison Bergerson

“Harrison Bergeron” is a satire of contemporary society. This means he uses irony on a large scale to make a statement, or commentary, about our world today. What commentary is Vonnegut making about today’s world?

Judging by Vonnegut's strong emphasis on dystopia, and the fact that everybody strives for equality, and how Harrison Bergeron challenges the society, I can say that Vonnegut is trying to tell us that nobody is equal, and the human race is meant to be unique, and each individual must strive to their own limits and be who they can be. It is stated that "The year was 2081, and everybody was finally equal. They weren’t only equal before God and the  law. They were equal every which way. Nobody was smarter than anybody else. Nobody better looking than anybody else. Nobody was stronger or quicker than anybody else". In a way, the government had created dystopia, handicapping everybody, and restraining them from what they can be. The dancers can only dance as good as anybody else, the musicians can only play as good as anybody else. When Harrison came barging in, and pronounced himself as emperor of the world, and took all his handicaps off, and did the same to his empress, one of the ballerinas, and tried, if only for a little while, to live to his full potential, until Diana Moon Glampers came and shot Harrison and the ballerina. Humans can't be restrained from their capabilities, and must strive to be what they can be. 

Poems

Where am I from?

Where am I from?
I'm from Pokémon, an endless journey; walking and walking.
I’m from ben 10 action figures,
I’m from Star Wars, an obsession of all six movies.
I’m from science fiction.

Where am I from?
I’m from The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe.
I’m from Harry potter, a dream so close to be in, but yet so far for it to exist.
I’m from Lord of the Rings
I’m from the world of fantasy.

Where am I from?
I’m from malaysia, and a bit of china.
I’m from summer all year round, hot and humid, but open to all possibilities.
I’m from riding my bike in autumn, crisp, fiery red leaves shattering under my wheels
I’m from the awesome barbecue, ribs dipped in savory gravy.

Where am I from?
I’m from catching tadpoles from the public ponds,
I’m from the fear of dogs, even the chihuahuas,
I’m from swimming with my cousins in undiscovered streams
I’m from political rants from my dad,
I’m from “throw the kid in the pool so he learns to swim”

Where am I from?
I’m from generations of effort
I'm from the brink between the centuriesI’m from “do it right or don’t do it”
I’m from “stop talking and eat your vegetables”
I’m the tapestry of my past, and a sketch board of my future

Is a person's Identity worth fighting for? Why or why not?

Yes, a person's identity is definitely worth fighting for, perhaps even worth dying for. In my opinion, life is abundant, if you're not unique, if you're not yourself, then what difference are we from mindless animals, cattle, herded, and not having a definite purpose of bringing some change to the world. A person't identity itself, is already in danger- from peer pressure, from social dynamics, religion, tradition, racism, stereotypes, or any other thing that puts a limit to what a person can do is a hazard to a person's identity.

"If I'm going to die, I want to still be me. I don't want to be a piece of their games, you know what I mean?"- Peeta Mellark- The Hunger Games.

Middle ages understanding

"To maintain control, you must have power."

In my opinion, I think is that yes, to remain in control, you must have to be in power of something that the ones you are trying to control care about, either in power of something to do with politics, or even brute strength and fear, all are in the arsenal of a dictator or ruler's weaponry. For example, Hitler would never have gained so much control over such a large population of europe if it wasn't for his already-existing public power as a WWI war veteran (as people generally respected those veterans), and his uncanny natural charisma, which gained him more support from people, and from support, he gained power of the people. With this, he became the chancellor of Germany, and later on, the Dictator, complete ruler. After politically stable and powerful, had access to the large military power that Germany possessed, Hitler would then be able to pose a threat to people who opposed his ideas.  

Events of 1066

The death of King Edward "The Confessor" created a large dispute between three powerful men, each with their own story and claim to the throne. Of the three, I think that Harold Godwinson had the rightful place to the throne. For one, Harold Godwinson was a Powerful man, being the leader of the army, and also being the Earl of Wessex. In addition to that, Harold was already part of the royal family, as King Edward had Married Harold Godwinson's sister. Also, King Edward, before his unfortunate death, had chosen Harold Godwinson as his successor. Unlike Duke William's claim that King Edward has promised him the throne (somewhat twelve prior to the events of 1066), the promise King Edward made to Harold was recent, and there is no mistake that the throne was promised to Harold Godwinson.

Values and Choices

Think about a time you witnessed bullying/ostracism/peer pressure/exclusion/discrimination/violence. How did you respond? How do you wish you had responded? What stopped you from responding that way?


One example of bullying I had witnessed this year, was when a friend of mine went and knocked another one of my friends to the floor ( more like, shoved him, it didn't hurt too much), and then grabbed his legs, and dragged him around. Why he did this, still remains a mystery to me.I'm pretty ashamed about how I responded, I just kind of stood there and laughed at him, but I did eventually go and help him out. I wish I had immediately went and helped him out, instead of laughing first. I guess I didn't react the way I should have first was because I thought it was a joke, but when I decided that enough was enough, I did stand up.

Respond to the questions below
1.Where have we seen examples of bullying/ostracism/exclusion occurring in texts studied so far this year- factual as well as fictional?

One example of exclusion is like when Peeta wanted to be excluded from the team training with Katniss. Or like the Jewish community being ostracized at the Auschwitz Nazi Death Camp.


The In-Group


1.Select one line/phrase/group of sentences that are significant to you. Explain why.

"Often, being accepted by others is far more satisfying than being accepted by oneself, though that satisfaction does not last. Too often, our actions are determined by the moment" was the final quote which deeply moved me, as I thought this was a good, short description to what normally happens in a bullying situation, like how people normally becomes a bystander, or even a perpetrator.

To think about:
How is ostracism different from other forms of bullying? When does ostracizing or excluding someone from a group become part of bullying?

1.What’s familiar about the incident Eve describes?

Eve's incident here is familiar in a way that it was similar to the holocaust, and how people who didn't actually support Hitler ended up actually supporting him, because everybody else was doing it, an they didn't want to seem like an outcast.

2.What surprised you?


It surprised me that Eve laughed when she read the diary of another girl, as she was also a victim of bullying, and would know how it felt like, and would not easily forget it.

3. How does Eve’s story relate to bullying? Was she bullied? Did she bully? How would you explain her behavior?( perpetrator/bystander/victim?). make sure you justify( back up your answer.


Yes, Eva was, in a way, bullied by other people, and I don't think that laughing at the girl's diary FULLY counts as bullying. Bullying is defined by any action that made other people feel bad- mentally or psychically. The whispering behind Eve's back made her feel bad, therefore rendering it as bullying, however, her laughing at the other girl's diary was a sort of human nature which Eve didn't mean to let loose.

Psychologists Michael Thompson and Lawrence Cohen point to the powerful influence of peer groups in guiding our behavior: ‘We all know that groups can go terribly astray in terms of their moral reasoning. Everyone not in the group can be considered an outsider, a legitimate target…It affects every group because we are all prone to that feeling of us versus them and the idea that if you’re not with us you’re against us. Speaking out against a risky, immoral or illegal decision is hard to do because that makes you an outsider yourself’.

4.How did Eve’s need to belong affect the way she responded when another girl was being mocked? Why does her response still trouble her? How do you like to think you would have responded to the incident?


Say Eve was to stand up for the girl being mocked, she might also be mocked. Maybe for being "too sensitive" or something. And I guess the response still troubled her because she knew that she was wrong, and is ashamed that she was once hypocritical to her anti bullying cause.

5. Eve concludes “Often being accepted by others is more satisfying than being accepted by oneself, even though the satisfaction does not last.’ What does she mean?


She means that it's in the human nature to get what they want immediately, and we don't really think about things in the lon run, and that we tend to do things foolishly and without thinking it through.

Schindler’s List

What makes a person a hero? their actions? their intentions? Personally, I think that a persons actions, AND intentions make a person a hero. If a person does something heroic, but for their own selfish needs, I wouldn't think that's heroic. If a person thinks all day about being heroic, but just sits there and does nothing, I wouldn't define that as very heroic, either. Schinder here, in my opinion, is torn between being a hero, and being a little selfish. He acted for the good of the people, but at the same time, receiving some workers for himself. So it was kind of a win-win situation, therefore, masking his true intentions.

VICTORY

I chose this poem by Sonia Weitz, Because it was a rather touching tale, with a turn of events from melancholy, to a feeling of triumph. The poem basically tells a tale of her and her father sharing a moment before they were taken away from each other, then being reunited, thus explaining the title "Victory", as they were victorious in the figurative "battle" against the nazis to stay together.What I enjoyed most, of the poem, was probably the title, which I think was short, yet it explains a lot. Maybe Sonia could have called it something like "The last meeting" or " The lat moments", but Sonia decided to think a little more positively. In the poem, she states that her father was " Once big and strong" which we thought meant that they were being rather malnourished in the concentration camps, and that she even accepted that she was "condemned to die" (in the death camps). I felt rather touched that her father (knowing they were to be executed) wanted to spend as much time as possible with his daughter. "There are no tools to measure love and only fools would fail to scale your victory." was, I guess, a way for her to say " don't give up", and to express how a bond between a father and his child is strong, and is not easy to break. After reading this poem, I felt first of all, touched, due to the love Sonia's Father shows to her, and secondly, I felt rather more sensitive towards the holocaust, knowing what kind of pain it brought to people. A connection I can make to this poem, was on a much smaller scale than this. I was about four or five, and my father had brought me to an electrical appliances store. Not wanting to walk anymore, I asked my dad if I could find a place to sit down. He agreed, but told me that he was going to go and look around in a nearby store. With my short term five year old memory, I forgot where he went and decided to go find him. When I couldn't find him, I got nervous. Long story short, My dad found me sitting on the floor, bawling my eyes out, with stammered "Dad"s escaping my mouth every few seconds.

Germany 1918-1933

The rise of Hitler and his nazis was mainly caused by two things; Hitler's act of understanding the pain which the people which he was trying to appeal to, and Hitler's ability to take advantage of situations to help his own cause. With his own charismatic personality, and the economical crisis with the Treaty of Versailles, it was not difficult for Hitler to make a few promises saying he would make life better for everybody, and have the crowd immediately agree to what he was saying, and vote for the Nazi party. Secondly, Hitler used every opportunity he got to either gain himself more votes, or make it harder for other political parties (like the social democratic party and communist party) to gain votes. An example of this is the Reichstag Fire, which Hitler blamed on the communists, which, in turn gave him an opportunity to antagonize communists and gain popularity for himself.

The Nuremberg Laws

The Nuremberg Laws. In 1935 a series of laws were introduced which further restricted the civil rights and personal freedoms of Jews. Upon reading the information provided on the link, answer these questions:

1. Who could now be defined as a "Jew"?
Jews were defined by anybody who had three or more ancestors with a Jewish background, religion, way of living, etc.

2. What was meant by "Aryanizing" Jewish Businesses?
Aryanizing ment that any Jewish person doing business; managers and employees alike, were replaced by "non-Jews" by the Nazis.

3. How were Jews who were professionals (lawyers, doctors etc.) restricted?
Professionals with a Jewish background were not allowed to practice their professions with non-jews. For example, Jewish doctors were prohibited from treating non-jews, and lawyers were unable to practice law.

4. What did Jewish identity cards need to include now?
Jewish identity cards had a large, red "J" stamped on them, and each person were given stereotypical Jewish middle names. These were all done to help police identify and find Jews easily.

5. What was the "Law for the Protection of the Hereditary Health of The German People"? (sum up in your own words)
The discussed law is one to prevent a mother passing a disease on to a child, and therefore harming the German population. Engaged couples are required to have a medical check-up from health authorities. The couple who received a fitness certificate (which marks the couple as untainted, and healthy) would be allowed to marry. Any couple who failed to get a fitness certificate, however, would not be allowed to marry.

Hitler Takes Control

1. What are civil rights? What are some that we have?

Civil rights are some rights that allows a citizen in a community to have a nice, secure, private living environment, with their own property any privacy. Some rights that we have is the right to own property, and not having to report any of your personal dealings with any government people.

2. Why might some of Hitler's measures in abolishing personal freedoms and Civil Rights be seen by some as as a positive, or necessary move?

The people might have seen the movement of the Nazis as an improvement to their economy. The demolition of many civil rights might have been seen as a necessary sacrifice in order to have a better life. Many believed that under nazi rule, poverty would not exist, as there would be nothing to not have. The nazis would financially support the people of Germany, which was what was promised, and was what attracted so many citizens.

The Treaty Of Versailles.

Actually, I think the treaty is half unfair, half fair. I felt that the germans were pulled into the war against their will, whether they wanted it or not. I think It is unfair that the Germans had to take 100% of the blame. The Germans only helped with something that was started by someone else- The Serbians who decided to assassinate the arch duke. However, I do think the Germans have to take a part of the blame, as they did cause a lot of damage to their enemies, who were trying to fight for the better good of people.