A Productive Force in the World

      The article "The Problem With Little White Girls, Boys and Voluntourism", brought up an essential point: if you are sincerely trying to fix a problem in the world, sometimes the best thing to do is not being directly involved in the solution.  Though traveling to poor countries and attempting to build infrastructure may make somebody feel helpful and altruistic, that person's feelings are irrelevant in terms of what actually gets done.  And it's not enough to just want to help.  A truly committed volunteer has to understand what things that they do will actually be helpful, rather than appearing helpful in their own eyes or the eyes of their friends back at home.
      I definitely agree with the author about this.  Unfortunately, some volunteer aid trips serve nothing more than to perpetuate the "white savior" complex - giving the white volunteers pleasure at the supposed good that they have done in the world, but not actually solving any problems.
      As a privileged white person, I think that it is important for all of us to be acutely aware of our privilege.  It is certainly possible for us to do productive service and make the world a better place, but our well-intended sympathies for others are not enough.  We have to step back, determine the best way to actually make a difference, and strive to be a productive force in the world.

Power and Privilege in Literature

In "The Headstrong Historian", Ayaju wants her son to "learn the ways of these foreigners, since people ruled over others not because they were better people but because they had better guns."

This quote is heavily tied into ideas about race and privilege.  While some white people around the world consider themselves superior to other races because they think they are "better people", Ayaju is suggesting that the reason white people were able to colonize and rule over Africans is because they "had better guns" - meaning they were more developed and possessed better technology, but were not superior in morality or in character.  The ability to view such issues of racism from a historical perspective is important.  Ayaju, rather than being resentful of the white men for ruling her people, recognizes the historical reason behind her society's structure, and wanted her son to adapt and "learn the ways of these foreigners" in order to thrive in a new, more modern world.

Though she wants her son to learn English in order for him to have a better life in a world ruled by white men, she does not wish for him to completely forget his native culture, because her culture is very important to her identity.  In her society, legacy is valued heavily - Ayaju wants to preserve her family's culture by teaching her son, and later, her grandchildren, the ways of her ancestors.  Though her son is so heavily influenced by the white Christian men that he completely dismisses Ayaju's culture, her native culture ultimately lives on in her granddaughter.

In this class so far, we have read many different perspectives which have refined my understanding of power and privilege.  In Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress, we saw the viewpoint of two boys living during Mao's Cultural Revolution in China.  Though widespread Mao propaganda probably told a very different story, Dai Sijie's book expressed an untold, unique perspective.  I learned that sometimes privilege isn't just about where and to whom you are born - it is often shaped by the constraints, rules, and values of the society you live in.  Certainly, privilege isn't a matter of merit - it is something you are either born with, or not - but anybody can work to overcome unlucky circumstances, as shown by the Little Seamstress' ambition and ultimate escape from her village.

In "The Headstrong Historian", from The Thing Around Your Neck, I learned that power of one civilization over another is often not a matter of "who has the biggest guns", or which civilization has developed under better circumstances in history.  History is formed by the decisions of those in power, and it is so often told from the perspective of those in power.  I appreciate the opportunity to read the unique literature we have read in this class so far, including Chimamanda Adichie's short stories, because they tell the stories of forgotten perspectives.

Mao and Historical Fiction

            Before reading Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress, I did not know much about Mao and the Cultural Revolution.  In fact, all I had known about Mao was from a card game called “Mao” that my friends and I used to play, a variant of Uno in which the winner of each round gets to choose and enforce a secret rule for the next round which only he knows.  The name of this game is trying to get at the arbitrary nature of Mao’s rule, and the fact that he would constantly make up illogical rules without telling his people, and then punish citizens for unwittingly breaking those rules.

            Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress gave me insight into the truth of what it was like to grow up during the Cultural Revolution in China and to be a part of Mao’s reeducation initiative.  Not only have I learned about the hard work and suffering associated with reeducation in China, but also about it’s ironical aspects.  Mao wanted city kids to learn traditional ways and to separate them from modern culture, but in reality, his reeducation initiative ended up doing quite the opposite in many ways.  Though the children who were being reeducated were forced to do hard labor and experienced suffering, they were exposed to primitive traditions of the illiterate rural villagers – not the idealized version of traditionalism Mao had pictured.  Also, the city children brought much of their modern culture with them to the villages, spreading Western songs, ideas, and traditions among the rural people.  This was exactly the opposite of what Mao intended.

            Reading historical fiction gives me a window into the minds of realistic characters who experienced history.  Historical fiction authors describe how these characters think and feel, as well as giving important historical context.  On the other hand, a true historical account may teach me something about history, but would not give me the same level of vivid understanding about what it was really like to live in that time period.

First Quarter Reflections

I think I have started English II about the same place that I ended English I.  Last year, my main area of focus was learning how to effectively use textual evidence to support my thesis and use specific words from the thesis and the quotes throughout my analysis.  I think that I have been doing a pretty good job of this so far in English II.  One thing I need to work on is shortening my analysis.  Especially in in-class essays, my commentary tends to be lengthy and repetitive.  I need to learn how to use more concise but equally effective wording to get my points across.  Also, I would like to get faster at writing essays in class.  Often, in in-class essays, I have to consciously sacrifice the quality of my writing in order to complete the essay on time, which really annoys me, because I know I am a better writer than my repetitive essays may reflect.  These two goals go hand-in-hand, in that shortening my analysis will hopefully also shorten the amount of time it takes me to write my essays.

In my short story/poetry essay, I think I did a good job interweaving comparisons between the short story and the poem throughout my entire essay.  Also, I think I successfully connected my analysis back to my thesis.  One thing I definitely need to work on, which I mentioned before, is being less repetitive (Note the irony in that sentence… :D)  This leads to my goal for my next essay: shortening the length of my analysis sentences, lessening the amount of sentences needed to get my point across, and being less repetitive with my writing.

A Fresh Start to Service Learning

            Service Learning was certainly a mixed experience for me last year.  The kids didn’t seem to learn all that much, since I ended up doing most of the work on the kite, and at times, the day felt long and dragged out.  This year though, has been a surprising success so far.  I feel like I have more control over my Service Learning experience – since partners are designing their own lesson plans – and I hope to get a chance to actually make a positive contribution in my kids’ lives.  I love writing, but I wouldn’t enjoy it nearly as much if not for the many amazing and inspiring English teachers that I have been so lucky to have over the years.  I strive to be that inspiring person in my Service Learning kids’ lives.  I want to help them have a great Service Learning experience, and hopefully share a little of my love for writing as well.

            Giving back to one’s community is very important.  I am so lucky to go to Sage Hill School, and it is the least I can do for my community to help less privileged kids in Santa Ana.  In my opinion, this is a big part of why Sage values its Service Learning program so much.  Also, Service Learning teaches us how to interact with different kinds of people, those that we perhaps aren’t used to being around.  The kids from Santa Ana schools probably have had very different life experiences than many of the kids at Sage, and it is important for us to be exposed to such diversity.

            In summary, I want to approach Service Learning with a positive attitude, provide a fun experience for my kids, and hopefully teach them to be better writers.  While last year I felt a little detached from the goals of Service Learning, I hope to really benefit my kids this year, and gain knowledge and experience along the way.

Iequality - Curse or Blessing?

Having been part of many AYSO soccer teams, swim teams, and other recreational sports leagues, I have had plenty of personal experience with participation ribbons and trophies.  At the end of the season, everybody would receive a participation trophy, a tradition, which always bothered me throughout my childhood.  Being an extremely competitive person, I felt that giving out awards to anybody regardless of skill diminished their value, and was unfair to those who were the most skillful or hardworking and actually deserved awards.  In soccer games, if we were winning by more than 3 goals, our coach would force us to pass and avoid scoring at all costs so as not to upset the other team’s players.  In fact, if we accidentally scored a goal, we’d be subbed out and reprimanded.  Later, when I transitioned to club soccer, “Participation” awards became “MVP” awards, and my team would often win or lose games by huge 10 goal margins.  Though occasionally the level of ruthless competitiveness seemed over-the-top, I strongly preferred it to the wimpy “everybody wins” system.  In club, I learned how to remain modest after a win and keep a positive attitude when losing.  These are important skills that kids of this generation may not learn if adults are constantly pampering us and telling us that we are all equally special.

Complete equality, such as that which existed in the society of Harrison Bergeren, is ridiculous and makes for an utterly uninteresting world.  The goals that drive us to prosper in today’s world are innovation, creativity, ambition, free thought, and dreams of achievement.  None of these things are possible without inequality.  Each person has their own individual talents, and may struggle in one field while excelling in another – that’s a major part of what makes people unique and interesting.  It’s pointless to expect everybody to be equally proficient at everything.  Bringing down each person to the level of the worst person destroys much of what makes life exciting and fun, and worth living.  Though letting kids run wild may lead to too many hurt feelings, society should not go so far as to negate the achievements of the more talented by rewarding everybody equally.

The participation trophies are meant to shield kids from failure, protecting them from the hard truths and inequalities of life, but by doing this they are also creating a generation of wimps.

Why I Stay

In “The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas”, a short story that we discussed in class, the author Ursula K. Le Guin introduces the idea that happiness always comes with a price.  Through the description of a seemingly utopian society whose happiness is upheld by the immense suffering of one child, Le Guin urges readers to become fully aware that all of the privileges in our own lives often come at a cost.  It may be easy for us to dismiss Omelas as irrelevant and different from the society we live in, but Le Guin’s lenience and flexibility in describing Omelas prevents us from so easily relieving ourselves of any responsibility.  Whether we want to or not, whether we choose to consider it or not, the more privileged of us stand on the backs of the less privileged in so many aspects of our lives.  Given this knowledge, is it wrong to participate in such a society?  Is it better from a moral standpoint to simply walk away?  These are the questions that Le Guin poses in her short story, and these are the questions we must each answer for ourselves.

Many people all over the world are a form of vegetarian or vegan, refusing to eat animals or food produced from animals, largely due to concern over animal rights or the idea that animals have spirits and can feel pain.  In fact, many of my friends think that by not eating meat, they are taking a stand against the immoral treatment of animals.  Personally, though I highly respect this viewpoint and other people’s beliefs, I tend to take a more cynical perspective – if I choose to become vegetarian, sacrificing the meat which I so enjoy, will that really stop animal abuse?  No – animals will still be mistreated all over the world, and they will still be brutally slaughtered for the consumption of the millions of people out there who are still omnivores.  Though I certainly recognize that animal abuse is a real and egregious issue, my own decision to walk away from eating meat will not fix anything.  Also, bacon just tastes so darn good… Sorry Wilbur.

Though this kind of justification often prevents me from walking away, there are times that I just can’t stand to participate in society’s problems.  For instance, some of my friends like to gossip, and they often ask me what they think of other people.  Oftentimes, people tell me something they don’t like about another person, and expect me to agree and complain with them.  I used to just kind of go along with people, saying “Yeah, I guess I don’t like them either,” even if that’s not true.  Lately, I’ve tried to walk away from that.  Instead I often respond, “Oh, I don’t know them very well.”  This answer doesn’t change my friend’s opinion of the other person, nor does it improve the life of that person.  Even though I don’t valiantly defend them, my refusal to simply agree to avoid a conflict is a form of walking away. 

Ultimately, though my refusal to participate may soothe my conscious, it will not actually solve any problems.  Walking away is a way of refusing to accept responsibility, and is in that way worse than participating.  I plan to fully participate in society and remain aware of its issues.  In my opinion, learning to live in society, no matter how opposed you are to it, is one of the most important skills we must learn.  As humans, society is not optional; we cannot simply opt out, and those who do aren't helping themselves, or anybody else.  Hopefully, by refusing to be ignorant and by refusing to walk away, I can help change society for the better, and combat the idea that happiness comes at a cost.

The Paralympic

The biennial Olympic Games stir up tremendous hype and feelings of patriotism among people worldwide.  Even those who don’t regularly follow sports will make an exception for the ever so popular Olympics.  Enthusiasm about the Olympics is especially elevated in the United States, where we can cheer on big names like Michael Phelps and Simone Biles, and feel pride in our country when they succeed.  When the Olympics draw to a close, the star athletes go home proudly to their countries, which shower them with endless praise and loving support.  Soon, they are mostly forgotten and people go about their business as usual for the next two years.  But what most of the world doesn’t know – or doesn’t care to know – is that a different international competition takes place only a few short weeks after the Olympics: the Paralympic Games.

The Paralympic Games features many of the same events as the Olympic Games, and involves athletes with a wide range of disabilities, including impaired muscle power, amputated limbs, and blindness.  The 2016 Rio Paralympic Games is scheduled to take place from September 7 to September 18.

The picture I chose is a photo of Matt Stutzman, an American Paralympic athlete who won silver in the men’s individual compound (archery) at the London Paralympics.  In the picture, Stutzman, whose lacks a right arm, holds the bow steady using his right foot and prepares to launch the arrow, which he holds with his right shoulder and mouth.  His eyes are intensely focused in concentration, and his lip is contorted in order to position the arrow correctly.

In words, I cannot begin to describe the kind of dedication and perseverance it must have taken for Stutzman to win that silver medal.  Archery requires incredible strength and balance, and being able to achieve such a high level of accuracy while lacking something essential to most archers – an arm – is absolutely astonishing.  Despite his disability, Stutzman won that silver medal.  And despite the fact that he will return to the United States largely unrecognized – while Phelps and Biles are household names – all it takes is that one picture to express the unbelievable effort and ambition it took to make his dream come true.