In Whose Honor

Well my initial reaction to this film was complete and total shock. First of all I was unaware, before this unit, that these mascots were so hurtful to the Native American people. It has to be very painful to watch your beliefs and ideas mocked at every sporting event that you attend who has these types of mascots. I just don't understand why there is so much resistence to getting rid of these mascots. I have to say that it is not a good enough excuse to say that money is the reason for them to stay. I really liked the flags that symbolized caucasions, blacks, and Jews as a mascot because it does give you a tiny insight to their feelings. it is pretty obvious that these different mascots would not go over at all in our society so why is it okay to have indian mascots. The chiefs are running around doing a "spiritual dance" but they look like a rehearsed gymnastics routine. These portrayals of the Native Americans traditions are very hurtful and downright rediculous. They do not portray these people in a good way at all and it needs to come to a stop...now!

Equiano Article

I think this article would be perfect to bring into an 8th grade English class who is about to read the novel The Glory Field by Walter Dean Myers. The beginning chapter of this novel directly relates to the situation happening in the article. While I was reading the article I thought I had read it before but I am sure it only reminded me of the beginning of this novel. I think this would be a great way to introduce racism to a class, and especially if they are going to read Myers' book, because it is almost identical to his novel.

Applying multicultural Article

This article focuses on racism in The Great Gatsby. I think it is hard to focus on such an issue when the entire book is made up of white characters. I know the article points out the quote from one of the characters and I definitely agree with addressing that particular quote, but this book would not be one I base my racism unit around. I think there are other books out there that address this issue much better and focus on several different aspects of the problem. Now I think showing the quote to reiterate the topic in all forms of literature is a good example but it is not one I think is a basis for the topic.

Peggy McIntosh article

This article really opened my eyes to the truths behind white privilege. The list she writes about white privilege in our daily lives was astounding. These are things that I never would have thought about prior to the article. I really like how she introduced the idea of white privilege as an unearned power. This is so true, it is unfair for someone to have power over another because of the color of their skin, but it happens everyday. I agree with her in the fact that many whites are oblivious to these types of racism and inequalities. She lists ideas that whites take for granted everyday, especially when people stereotype certain races. They are an individual person so why are they being categorized negatively because of the color of their skin. This article was a wake-up call for me because she presents so many advantages whites have over other races and it is truly unjust.

Letters blog

Our group discussed the idea of recovering the girls. The British wanted to recover the girls and bring them back to the institution. The British using the word "recover" portrays the image that they have possession of the girls. They are human beings they are not owned by anyone. The British think they need to recover them and take them back to the institute. I do not think the British have any right to say that the girls belong to them because of their mixed race. They will truly be "recovered" when they are reunited with their families in the tribes.

Philosophy

Throughout the unit I was introduced to several different forms of new and old technology. I learned that technology can be extremely beneficial for teachers and their students. I really like the blog because it allows for students to immediately write their responses to their homework and readings. It is very easy to forget overnight what one has read, so being able to immediately respond is very beneficial to the outcome of the response. This also helps to remind them of the reading the following day, when they read their responses they suddenly remember much more about the readings. So I definitely will use this in my future classrooms, because I want better responses from all of my students. The only idea I would have to be aware of is that some students may not have access to computers from home so I will have to allow class-time to use the internet.
I also really like the idea of bringing in videos to relate to the novel that we read. This is one that is used is many different classrooms but I strongly believe that is helps the students see the literature in comparative situations. They can compare the movie to the literature and it shows modernized versions of classical literature. I really like modernizing literature to students because it creates a more realistic situation for them. So this is another commonly used technique that I will undoubtedly implement in my classrooms.
There are some other views that I learned from this unit as well. I do think that we have to use technology in moderation or else it could start to penalize our students. We do not want them to limit themselves to computers and internet where they are not using books and libraries. Books are so important and I do not want to see the future disregarding books for computers. I also do not want students to be so consumed with technology that is takes away from the main focus of discussion. I want them to learn the literature and ideas surrounding the unit, I only want the technology to help guide the lessons, but I do not want them to be the entire lesson. So my views on technology have not changed throughout the course of this unit that much. I still believe technology is a great thing but it something we have to monitor and not let take over our entire lives.

Omniscient view

I really liked what the omniscient view said. They were more just explaining what the two minute hate was. They did not take a particular side, like the Winston and Party groups did. This was more of an informational type newspaper because it briefly explained what the citizens did during this time. The other two newspaper articles were definitely more biased because they both try to manipulate the reader into their views. This view just allowed me to understand exactly what goes one during the hate and not influence me, as a reader, to take a side.

Phone Tapping

Well I have to admit that phone tapping is a very intrusive act that the government seems to regard as protection. Basically the national phone tapping is the agreement by President Bush that it is okay to tape people’s phone conversations, especially when speaking internationally. The government believes that it is a very useful way to secretly spy on citizens who may be involved in some terrorist acts. The government feels that they are able to protect U.S. citizens much more efficiently by eavesdropping on their conversations. Phone tapping became much more common after September 11, 2001 because President Bush thinks it is a good way to catch terrorists by listening in on their phone conversations. When phone tapping started to be a “form of protection” the government did not want the New York Times to write about the issue, because they thought it would jeopardize their investigation. They secretly tapped into several conversations, mostly people speaking to others in different countries, to find any evidence of terrorism. I received majority of my information from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Security_Agency#Phone_taps.
To be honest I think that this is a great invasion of our privacy. I understand the government is trying to “protect” the citizens but it seems they are going to great lengths to do it. This is so intrusive and violates our American rights. As U.S. citizens we should not have to worry about what we are going to say to our family members and friends on the phone because someone could be listening in on our conversations. I think phone tapping is disturbing and creates a “telescreen” in our own lives. Knowing that we are being watched, or listened to, by the government at all times makes 1984 a reality. Allowing the government to screen our calls and record them for our “protection” is just another way that our “democratic nation” is becoming more limited.

Response to activity

I thought this activity was rather interesting. Some people were very eager to express views from their assigned characters ideas. The discussion seemed to get rather heated over how they interpret specific ideas. I think the questions were geared more towards the leaders in the stories instead of the commoners that were in the stories. The leaders were able to argue their views with several different ideas that backed up their concerns. It was harder as Julia to think of how these questions and how they directly would influence her character. I think the people who had strong views on specific ideas had better arguments.

Julia attributes

Julia is the young lady who Winston is having a secret affair. He is very attracted to her because she is willing to rebel against the system. Julia is not afraid to meet with Winston and have an affair in a room above Mr. Charrington's shop. She is rebellious and does things that are sneaky and against the Party rules. She is an attractive woman and I think Winston is more attracted to her because she is so willing to go against the Party. He is not one that agrees with the decisions that are made by the Party and she is not as well. He likes her because she is similiar to him in respect to their views on the system. Julia does not seem to fear getting caught by the government and she says she will never tell on Winston. She promises that will not turn him in during their secret affair or if they were to get caught.
At the beginning of the novel Winston is afraid that she is an undercover worker for the government because she is always watching him. He is afraid that she is trying to find out ways that he is going to go against the system. He is wrong and she is watching him because she wants to find out that he is as much against the system as she. So she is very observant and cautious about her decisions before she actually acts on them. She watches him for quites some time so she knows that he will not turn her in for her rebellious acts.

Minority Report Response

I have to say that this movie was okay. I was a little board throughout the movie but it definitely raised some interesting points. When watching Minority Report it was apparent that some ideas do relate to the novel 1984. It was almost rather scary to see how some people feel the future may turn out because of the great technological advances. It is almost intimidating to think about what will be thought of next, and how far will we go to create a "perfect" world. The movie was very disturbing because it had three "psychics" hooked up to machines so the police could see future crimes that were going to be committed. This caused the crime rate to decrease to zero in the nations capital. The inventors of this program were attempting to have this recognized around the world, so crimes will be a thing of the past. The scary thing was the three psychics were kept in a coma-like state so the machines attached to them could constantly read their minds. They were placed in a big pool area and left there twenty four hours a day. The police and the others behind the operation could not think of them as humans because it was sad to see their lives. They pretended that these three people were not humans so they could feel better about their operation. Clearly these three people are humans and need to live a life full of adventure not being imprisoned because of having a gift. Another, rather sickening, idea behind the story is the Minority Report, which was a flaw in the system. It came about that people were being put in jail for crimes they may not have actually committed. This proves that no matter what technological advances we make there is always going to be flaws so we should not become completely dependent on these advances.
This movie relates to 1984 because of the government's ways of always watching their citizens. They say it is a good way for the people to live because it keeps everyone safe. The question is though; is it worth your private life to be "safe" from crime? The people in both stories were punished for thinking about ideas that may go against what the government thought was "safe". These governments’ ideas are not keeping their citizens safe they are keeping them from living a life of privacy and comfort. It has to be completely frightening to think that one may go to jail for doing something (legal) in the privacy of their own home.
Through the reading and the movie these ideas have only increased my views on the idea that technology is an exceptional tool but it is something that needs to be used in moderation. We need to limit ourselves so that we can live a life that is private and secure away from the public. It just seems too intrusive to have someone watching me at all times, and it is not something I want to deal with in the future.

Response to the Party

I really liked the newspaper article by the Winston group. They definately describe views in the eyes of Winston. He was very secretly against the Party and the Two Minute Hate, and this article shows the secrecy of his ideas. I really like how they used words describing the Party as suspicous. When the write about Goldstein and his "supposed" evilness to the Party. They make it clear that his views are speculating the truths behind the Party.

Newspaper

Lets get excited for tomorrow’s Two Minute Hate because it shows the corruption and evilness of the Brotherhood. Emanuel Goldstein is still on the prowl, trying to manipulate our citizens to join his cult. He will sabotage your thoughts, and destroy your family. We are here to protect your values. We are here for you, we have your best interests at heart, and we have always taken care of you, do take care of you and will always take care of you and your needs. The truth cannot be undone.
Judy Seymour states, “In a world that is so unsafe our party is the protection from the outside world. Without them our survival is uncertain.”
We will show you in our two-minute hate our love for you and our country. Our protection is undying. War is peace, Freedom is slavery, Ignorance is strength.