A Long Way Gone Part II

As I continue reading the detailed text of Ishmael Beah's A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Solidier, I find myself always more and more shocked. Throughout the book, Beah emphasizes that the mindsets of the African regions affected by the war have greatly changed. Strangers, both young and old, are not trusted anymore. Furthermore, when Beah traveled with his brothers and friends, villagers many times thought that they were vicious rebels. Many times they are attacked by these villagers and tortured until proven to be innocent. At one time Beah and his group are forced to strip down and are beaten for their suspicion. I could not begin to imagine this sort of atmosphere, but I can definitely understand how it is formed. Living in a war-torn environment, it is very easy to let go of optimistic viewpoints and to feel a constant threat. Ironically, once the boys have proven that they are just travelers trying to escape this war, the villagers usually welcome them into their homes with food, shelter, and comfort. I can only hope that the optimism that was once destroyed by this conflict will soon return as the war dies.

Issues in Modern America 2011-2012

This past year I participated in one of the most engaging and thought provoking classes of my high school career: Issues in Modern America. Throughout the year, our class explored hot topics such as capital punishment, gun control, abortion, bullying, affirmative action, student rights, and sexual harassment among other topics. With articles, legal cases, movies, simulations, and intense discussions to help us along our way, my peers and I were pushed to explore the intensity and opposing viewpoints of these issues. Before going into this class, I did have some opinions on certain topics. But now, I can honestly say that I do not know what my opinion is on the death penalty or abortion, and the laws for me are not exactly black and white. But I am fine with this confusion, because I am confident that my Issues in Modern America class has given me the necessary resources to explore these hot topics thoroughly. Issues was one of my most rewarding classes because I was pushed to explore all angles of an issue, and to not form an opinion solely on emotion. The healthy and respectful classroom environment that was given to my peers and me in the class helped to contribute to its success. So Mr. Kramer, since I know you are reading this, thank you so very much for a great year. You have helped us all to open up our perspectives and become more involved citizens of the world around us. Thank you very much for everything that you have done for students of the past, present, and for all that you will do for future students.

Free Period

Throughout all of my high school career, I have never had a scheduled free period. So when I realized that I would have second period free during my second semester of senior year, I was relieved. I thought that having a second semester free period as a senior would be extremely relaxing for me, and that it would give me time to enjoy being a second semester senior. And boy was I right! I love having a free period because it gives me a scheduled time in my day, four days a week, where I can work on anything: homework, extracurricular activities, or even take a nap in the silent section of the library. But although the joy of a second semester senior year free period lived up to its expectations, second semester senior year in itself did not. As a student goes about through his or her freshmen, sophomore, and junior years in high school, he or she anticipates the day when second semester senior year arrives. Supposedly there is less of a workload, teachers are less strict, and you are already into college. But for me that was not the case at all. I most definitely did not have "senioritis", (except for random days when I would not do my AP Psychology or Pre-Calculus homework), and my work load was not winding down at all. To pile on top of all of that, the college decision was only getting harder, as I had to decide where I was going to be for the next four years of my life. So no, second semester senior year is not as stress-free as everyone says, but I am sure glad that I got a free period to help lighten the work load.

Narrowing In

Ever since I can remember, I have always been interested in a variety of activities. As a magician, instrumentalist, singer, active youth group leader, social justice advocate, and general entertainer, my activities have always contained a broad spectrum. For years I have been questioning whether or not I should drop some of my activities and focus on one in particular. Because once I choose a specific career to pursue, it will be very hard for me to be as involved in other endeavors as I am now. But for me, that is a very scary path to take right now. Choosing which journey to advance on is terrifying for me because I do not want to make the wrong decision. Do I want to focus most of my energy as a magician, and try to make it to the top? Or would it be better if I pursued my Jewish roots as a Rabbi? What about following my hunger for social justice and working full-time at a non-profit organization? Amongst this are also interests in law, television, and marketing. With such a cluster of fascinations that I hold, how can I be sure that I will choose the right path? All I know for sure, is that as long as I am passionate about what I do, no matter what it may be, I know that I will be happy. For now, I just want to take in as much as I can in college, and I hope that the right path will eventually find its way to me.

Marketplace of Ideas

Last week, my Issues in Modern America class presented a "Marketplace of Ideas". The Marketplace was a place where my peers and I had the opportunity to present our opinions about hot topics to the entire school. During the lunch periods, presentations and posters were set up in a common area outside of the cafeteria. Participating in the Marketplace of Ideas was a very rewarding experience for me because it forced me to see opinions that I would normally not meet. I had an opportunity to talk with my classmates about ideas that I had never thought of before such as organic farming, military budget cuts, and the legalization of elicit drugs. Besides presenting in the Marketplace, I thought that it was highly interesting to engage in discussion with the other students who work presenting their topics. On the first day of the Marketplace, last Thursday, I walked past a presentation which argued that Invisible Children, a non-profit organization that I am a strong supporter of, is a fraudulent and terrible organization. Strongly believing in the organization, I quickly began to share my opinions with the student about why I disagreed with his poster. Eventually a few other students crowded around us as well, listening to my opinions on his topic. Overall, the Marketplace of Ideas is a great concept because it allows us students to explore hot topics that we would not address otherwise, and it gives us the opportunity to respectively share our differing opinions.

A Long Way Gone: Part I

I recently started reading Ishmael Beah's book, A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier. Beah writes about his own personal journey growing up in Sierra Leone, located in western Africa. During his childhood, Beah and thousands of others struggle with the current conflict of the rebels. The rebels commit mass atrocities and murders all across the land, and they force children to become their soldiers. Ishmael Beah eventually becomes a child soldier, and he recalls his most horrific memories of this horrific time of his childhood.

Although I am only a few chapters into this highly-detailed book, I can already sense the great intensity of Beah's journey. At the beginning of the book, the narrator starts off with a memory of a visit to his mother's house several miles away. However, right when Beah and his brother return to their village, there is an immediate awakening. The text becomes extremely graphic, and it becomes very easy to visualize what Ishmael Beah experienced. It becomes highly graphic. Even though Beah's descriptions can be extremely disturbing, they are definitely necessary in order to bring the proper light to his story. Thousands of people felt so much pain and torture from this conflict, and it is proper to convey those same feelings to the readers of A Long Way Gone. I can only imagine that one of Ishmael Beah's main intentions in writing his book was to spread awareness, and his graphic descriptions definitely help his cause. Beah's text magnifies the reality of his story and the conflict, and it helps to pull its readers into understanding that struggle. Although this is an extremely tragic book, I can only hope that its upcoming chapters will be just as compelling as they are so far.

"The last casualty that we saw that evening was a woman who carried her baby on her back. Blood was running down her dress and dripping behind her, making a trail. Her child had been shot dead as she ran for her life. Luckily for her, the bullet didn't go through the baby's body. When she stopped at where we stood, she sat on the ground and removed her child. It was a girl, and her eyes were still open, with an interrupted innocent smile on her face. The bullets could be seen sticking out just a little bit in the baby's body and she was swelling. The mother clung to her child and rocked her. She was in too much pain and shock to shed tears" (13).

The Greatest Movie Ever Sold

Recently, I had watched Morgan Spurlock's, The Greatest Movie Ever Sold. As the director of "Super-Size Me", Spurlock explores how product placement can alter a movie. Throughout the documentary, Spurlock approaches businesses, big and small, in an effort to get them to sponsor his movie. In return, the businesses will receive product placement in the film. The genius part of this film is that it was completely paid for by its sponsors. From lawyers to gas stations, no professional corporation was even mentioned in the film if it did not sponsor the film. Even while talking to a lawyer about the legalities of his film, Spurlock filmed the conversation and inevitably convinced the lawyer to sponsor his film as well. Amist all of these sponsors, Morgan Spurlock also struggles with not giving into the sponsors' demands, as he tries to keep the movie to fit his original vision. I am not the biggest documentary nut in the world, but I highly recommend that you check out The Greatest Movie Ever Sold. It is a brilliant film, with hints of comedy surrounding every scene.