Step 4 Learning Journal: What have I learned ?

This class went above my expectations prior to enrolling. I was told by my academic advisor that I needed an extra course of electives and gave me a list of classes I could take. Due to my love for travelling, I was very much interested in the topics covered in this course and was eager to start. I was not disappointed one bit.

So what stood out as especially valuable? Quite honestly, I couldn’t pinpoint what exactly but overall, what I’m taking from this class is that regardless of your color, your race, your age, your political and sed religion preference, regardless of your sexual orientation, we are all in this mess together and ought to work together towards the betterment of society as a whole. Our differences make us even closer than we can ever imagine.

I wished I took the time to go beyond what was asked of me. I was very interested in the topic but taking an online class on a smart phone was the dumbest decision I’ve ever made J. However I do not regret it a bit. This is definitely a class and a professor I will recommend to my friends for sure. I had a blast !!

Entry # 6: Violence in the US

Louisiana police: Father confesses to decapitating special-needs son as reported in CNN.

How sick is that? I mean what world do we live in? I was baffled when I read this article just 5 min ago. What has a special needs kid do that was so terrible for his own father to get a hacksaw and decapitate him? I mean enough with the constant violence already! You know, I thought I’ve seen some messed up stuff growing up in Africa but let me tell you: I’ve never seen or witness so much troubling acts of violence anywhere else but in the US. I thought that with all the laws put in place to protect our lives, crimes would deter but it seems like they are not preventing anything. The laws only come in the picture during sentencing phases. They do not prevent crimes in the US.I mean there is no way someone in that child’s life did not notice any suspicious activity going on that household. There is no way that child was not abused by that monster. There is no way he just got up one morning and decided to physically harm his son. We can’t just rely on our laws to protect us. We need to look out for each other and watch each other’s back. I’m sick and tired of the craziness going on in the US.

Resources

http://www.cnn.com/2011/CRIME/08/15/louisiana.child.killing/index.html?hpt=hp_t2

Entry # 5: US Credit rating downgrade.

On August 5, 2011, US credit was downgraded for the 1st time in history from coveted AAA to AA+ by Standard & Poor’s in a very dramatic fashion. For the first time in history, the United States was being looked upon as an untrustworthy nation who cannot guaranty paying back its debts. Though I was shocked by how bad things were getting economically in the US, I was flabbergasted by how quick most Americans were to blame it all on Obama. That shows you how humans are to forget the good times when faced with dramatic situations. It was funny to me how all of the sudden Obama was the source of all the problems happening in the US. Really? Are we so quick to forget that we wouldn’t be in this mess in the first place if it wasn’t for GWB’s multiple mistakes in the last 8 years?
We as US citizens know better. We ought to get off our high horses and take responsibility for some of our actions. We voted Bush Jr in office twice and constantly drank the sour Kool-aid he fed us for years. We kept on giving him blank checks while he was working hard for Wall Street and the Republican Party. Why is it now so hard for us to hold off our wild accusations and finger-pointing, at least till the end of Obama’s term as president? We need to look at ourselves in the mirror and ask ourselves what we truly believe in.

Entry # 4: Immigration in US

Throughout the course, I was given the chance to explore several aspects of the American lifestyle from an Immigrant prospective and learned much more about what it takes to be a productive piece of the society. I however always had an issue with the immigration process established in the US, especially students’ “F1” status visas. What the US fails to realize is that, for a foreigner living on less than $2 a day, any opportunity to move out of the misery he or she is, is a good enough to jump on. What the “F1” visa stipulates is that, prior to being allowed to come to the US, you have to prove that you are rich, meaning you need to prove that you are a local millionaire (keep in mind that $ US100 = 46100.00 Francs in west Africa). Once you prove that you are almost as rich as Bill Gates, you need to agree to pay for your own school tuitions which by the way are 4 to 5 times higher than what legal residents and citizens pay. In addition to that, you are not allowed to work while going to school unless you jump through several other lengthy and costly hoops. Upon completion of your degree, you are required to return to your country of origin as you are no longer welcomed. I look at the F1 status as this scenario in which you agree to bring a homeless man into your home and provide him shelter as long as he cleans around the house for you. After several years of him getting used to a decent life, you abruptly ask him to return to the street and dirt in which you found him. This is the immigrant’s view of the F1 status. The F1 status immigration visa is a flawed one and seems as if the primary goal of those who shaped it was to bring more foreign currency into the US treasury, without so much caring about the individuals breaking their back to survive without income in the US.

Entry #3 : Malthus's Vision.

One of our assignments in week two was to debate whether or not Malthus premonition on world resources was valid or simply foolish. Remember, he believed the world’s population would get to the point where food resources would not be able to support leading to starvation and disease. I was quick to point out how foolish that statement was, highlighting the fact that we now have access to the latest technologies to produce food faster and more abundantly than he could ever dream of. I then concluded by saying that no matter how much the world’s population increases, the resources available will always be sufficient for all of us to live comfortably. Due to some recent news, I realized that due to the fact that I was very much on point, we were all to be blamed for the atrocities happening thousands of miles away from us.

Very recently, I came across news of starvation happening somewhere in Somalia. I first thought “I can’t be that bad! Damn media. They always blow things out of proportion!” However, since it had to do with Africa, I thought it would not hurt to glance at news about it. I was flabbergasted by what I’ve found out! According to the world hunger database, the world produces enough food to feed everyone! However per UN’s statistics ten thousands of CHILDREN are dead, 3.7 MILLION of them are in need of urgent care. Yet, restaurants such as Taco Bell, Mc Donald and a lot more prefer to throw away leftover food while a child somewhere in Africa is dying of starvation. We can all pitch to stop this atrocity. I sincerely believe so. I know the US never fails to land a helping hand but I feel like at times, the help takes too long to reach the neediest.

Resources

(http://www.worldhunger.org/articles/Learn/world%20hunger%20facts%202002.htm)

http://www.defence.pk/forums/world-affairs/121242-famine-somalia-millions-risk-death-starvation.html

http://www.guardian.co.uk/global-development/2011/aug/03/somalia-famine-spreads-says-un

Milestone 1

My topic of interest for my final project is the culture shock immigrants in the United States are subject to. I will use my personal experience as the perfect example. I will submit it via method A the traditional research paper format.

Cluster Course Wk 2

Let me jump right out and say that with me in this class, this class only got better...No, really. J I love throwing flowers at myself. Anyway, on a serious note, I feel as if my background allows me to be more open to other cultures than the average person out there. As asked of me in this assignment, one of the strengths I bring to this class is that I came from Togo, a West-African French-colonized country, which is thousands of miles away from the US. Being raised in Africa implies being raised by your family, the entire community then by your own self. Just to elaborate a bit, every person in your neighborhood has the right to discipline you when they catch you doing something you are not supposed to be doing. Your family keeps an iron fist on who you hang out with for fear that you might derail and become a loose person. You as an individual raise yourself in part by learning the tricks you need in order to keep your own identity without alienating your family and your community.

The second objective was to assess the ways in which culture shapes gender roles. Having spent 18 years of my life in Africa, I can say with confidence that I know one thing or two about gender inequality. In Togo, every household hopes to have at least one boy. A father who fails to conceive a boy is usually looked upon as if he was sexually impotent. He was looked upon as if there was something wrong with him. We were taught since birth that males were chosen by the gods to be in command and women were taught to respect and fear males. From birth, our own culture elevated us to be kings while reminding females that they were inferior and weak. Of course, I know longer believe such thing, however I respect those who believe in it.

the yellow wallpaper

The story tries to insinuate that the dominant sex ( male ) is sort of abusive when it comes to being in a relationship. It insinuates that males are controlling and do not seem to know when to listen to females in distress. the story left me with a sour taste in the mouth as if we, males, didn't have much feeling when it comes to the weak sex. it was quite an upsetting story.

Chopin, Kate. "The Story of an Hour." 1894.

This story all starts off with the death of Brently and Richards is one of the first to find out by reading the newspaper. Josephine then went on to break the news to Louise, the wife, who has a bad heart condition. The story goes on by describing all the mixed feelings that the newly widow is experiencing, some sort of joy and sadness all mixed up. Then, finally, she dies..
The themes could be loss, grieve, life and death. This story main characters are Mrs. Louise Mallard, Brently Mallard, Josephine, Richards.

Wolff, Tobias. " Say Yes "

The story begins as an unnamed husband is in the kitchen helping his wife, Ann, with the dishes, as he does every night. In fact, he is happy to help with the dishes because it lets him show his wife how considerate he is, proving that he is sensitive to her needs. As they were doing dishes, the conversation turns to interracial marriage and the fact that the husband is against it.

The wife is rather surprised at the husband's response and wants to know why he thinks that people of color ( Black ) should not marry white people. The husband's explanation is that white people and black people come from different cultures and they would not be able to know each other truly in their marriage.For some reason, she is hurt and the husband feels bad for pitching in into the stupid debate. He goes outside the house to get some fresh air then come back inside and apologizes. He tells her that he will make it up to her by marrying her if she was black. The main characters of the story are Ann and her husband. The themes are race, culture and relationship.

Williams, Carlos William. " The use of force " The Doctor stories 1984

The story begins as the doctor ( who is also the narrator ) is called to the Olson's family house. Their little daughter had been having fever for several days and the parents are worrying. He analyzes the family as he is taking out his instruments from his suitcase. The parents are eager to help even though, they are kind of useless to the doctor. He knows that they will only tell him what he needs to know and let him discover the rest. The ill daughter turns out to be a real prick, hard to deal with. The doctor, even though he wasn't expecting that much animosity from the animal takes the challenge at heart, due to the kids he has seen dying from the pandemic disease. He manages to get what he wanted from the little kid at the end. The only name in this short story is olson. The themes are disease, confrontation, use of force and health.

Hawthorne, Nathaniel. " Young Goodman Brown." 1835

This story is about a man who decides to go into the forest to find a mysterious figure, leaving his wife behind. Brown, on the road find this mysterious friend and decide to travel along with him. They discover new things about society in general. Some themes in this story are good vs. evil, and human nature.

Jackson, Shirley. "The Lottery." The New Yorker. 1948.

This story is about a town, that every year once a year,has this lottery where the winner gets stoned to death. The way the story is narrated easily allow you to guess the outcome of the lottery game. Some characters are Mrs. Hutchinson, Mr. Summers, Mrs. Graves, Mrs. Dunbar, and the children.The themes are luck, fate, shame, life, bad vs. good, apathy.

(Melville, Herman. Bartleby the Scrivener, 1853, Putnam's Magazine)

The narrator is an elderly lawyer that helps wealthy men with their mortgages and offers several other services. He comes into contact with Bartleby, the strangest person he has ever known. He was looking for a job and responds to an ad the lawyer put in. Though Bartleby has good intentions, his past mistakes keeps dragging him down and causing him more troubles. Morality, wealth, gender are the themes of this story. The main characters are Bartleby, the lawyer, Nippers and Turkey.

(Kafka, Franz. A Hunger Artist, 1922, Die Neue Rundschau)

This story is about a artist who starves himself for a public display. He spends most of his time in a cage with a timer clock that show how long he had gone without food. Plenty of people gather and pay to see him as if he was some sort of entertainment. He finally dies and a panther takes his place in the cage. Some themes are society influence, death, hunger, prosperity, and fitting in.

Vonnegut, Kurt Jr. Harrison Bergeron, 1961, Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction)

The story is about this imaginary future where everyone is equal. The handicap general who is some sort of dictator, forces citizens to use handicaps to make sure that no one is above anybody. Harrison, a citizen whose intelligence is above normal, represents a great danger to the balance of the society, based on the current laws and was jailed. He breaks out of jail, bursts into a studio and declares that he is now the emperor and chooses a ballerina as his empress. As they dance the handicap general shoots and kill them. Hazel ( harrison's mother ), even though she is crying over it cannot even remember why because, she, just like every other citizen is being brainwashed. This story sort of warns the reader against what could happen to our generation if we allow the government to have too much control on us. A major theme is equality, mind control, dictation. The main characters are Harrison, Hazel, George, the Handicap general.

(Guin, Ursula Le. The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas, 1973, New Directions)

It's quite hard to find out whether the narrator is a male or a female. In the society ( Omelas ) he talks about, the sacrifice of a child is essential for the sake of the entire group. A child must be kept in darkness, and misery for the society to keep its balance and fortune. Some themes are happiness, secrets, loss, misery, death and scapegoat.

O'Connor, Flannery. " A good man is hard to find " (1955)

The short story is about a family that is getting ready to leave the house for a road trip to Florida. The granny disapproves the trip , partially due to the fact that a criminal, The Misfit, is on the loose , somewhere in Florida. She prefers going to Tennessee, but nobody seems to want to go. Her son doesn't care about her want and just want to leave.On the road, the granny who doesn't know when and how to shut up, keeps going on and on about how people nowadays don't know how to be respectful toward the elders. Somewhere during the trip, she believes that there is a house she visited a while back around the corner and wants to go visit again. She tricks the kids into forcing her son to drive there. On the way there she realized she made a huge mistake about the location of the house and by the time she tried to say something, they have an accident. They stop a passing by car, with the intention of asking for help. It turns out that one of the passengers in the car is the Misfit and Granny who doesn't know how to shut up, says it out loud. He then proceeds on killing the entire family. The story ends while he orders his gunmen to taker her away and kill her too. The significant characters are the Granny, The misfit, John Wesley and June Star. The themes are family, murder, moral.

Carver, Raymond. " what we talk about when we talk about love" (1981)

Nick is the narrator of the short story. With Laura, his wife, he is having a conversation with Mel and Terri, over at Mel's apartment. They are getting drunker and drunker as time goes by and are just having a good time, talking about anything. Out of the blues, Mel brings the subject of love into the discussion. Each individual gives his/her own interpretation of the word "love". Then Mel proceeds on telling the story of an elderly couple who had been hit by a drunk teenager. He talks about how the love they have for each other saved their life. Then' at some point, Terri reveals that her husband is depressed, reason why he is acting the way he is. The main theme is Love and the main characters are Nick, Laura, Terri and Mel.

Marquez, Gabriel Garcia. " A very Old man with enormous wings"

The short story begins as a couple is getting rid of crabs after several days of rain. They are worried about their son's health since he has developed temperature. Pelayo, on his way back to the house, finds an old man with wings, lying in the mud.After consulting with his neighbor, they assume that he was an angel sent from God to watch over their little boy. They take him in and start feeding him. Soon, their house becomes some sort of circus, with all kind of people coming to stare at the creature. The old man stays with the couple for several years and one day, takes off on its own. The main characters of this story are Pelayo, Elisenda and Father Gonzaya. The themes are superstition, curiosity, insensitivity, religion.