Spontaneous Word Poem 4/26/09

With gloss rebounding off its rugged surface

the stone on the ground

is something to cross

across to the side with grass

grass, used for the fields

on which we jump, run, pant, and shout

on which rain descends

and in puddles do we splash

with laughter ringing out in the open

almost like singing

the trees adjacent to the school

sing with the sound of spring

a floral and sweet combination

that we hope will last forever

at the end of the day, we abandon our books

the reading we do is lost 

as we leave through door 2

and walk with our ankles, wishing we

could fly in the sky, abandoning our flip-flops.

Blog #1 04/22/09

For the first blog about my choice book, 3 Willows the sisterhood grows by Ann Brashares, I chose to pick a quote and analyze it. My quote is, "No matter how far back you cut a willow tree, it will never really die" (page 319). First off, you have to know that the author relates the three girls who planted willow trees when they were younger to sayings about Willow Trees. The three girls are Ama, Polly, and Jo. This quote was on the very last page of the book and it shows how since Polly, Jo, and Ama planted the trees a long time ago and split apart, they were able to come back together. They were able to come together because as relating them to Willow trees, even though they got cut back, they never really did loose their friendship because a Willow Tree will "never really die." I particularly chose this quote because it struck me as being so straightforward and how friendships really are concrete if they were based off of something genuine. Also, I think that this quote shows how the author, Ann Brashares, can relate two different things, one animate and one inanimate, and fuse them together to create a basic theme in the scheme of friendships and moreover, relationships of all kinds and sorts. 

So much depends, 2

So much of spring depends 

upon growth

the rebirth of the trees, leaves, and grass

how much perseverance they have

an eruption of flowers from the earth

the symphony's of a birds raucous calls

reverberating through the clean, crisp air

the majestic beauty of a clear azure sky

the feel of the wind blow gently by

with a whisper that seems to breathe

life back into spring

So much depends, 1

So much depends 

upon a round little egg

gleaming in all its glory

waiting for its unwrapping

the crinkle kunkle krish screams in the air

as a brilliant waft of cocoa and peanut butter

makes its way to the brain

signaling a fusion that gives ecstasy 

the massive crunch, loud yet delicate

as it crumbles to its destruction

shows its vulnerability 

pleasure resulting 

Awarness

So, this blog post is pretty much just for its own. This spring break, I went to San Francisco and Scottsdale, AZ. When I went to San Francisco it really amazed me how many different ethnic groups lived there and that many people would help you with directions or were friendly. I'll admit that I had some preconcived notions about a big city like San Francisco, like that everyone was mean and no one wanted to help you, but when I gave it some time it showed that you really shouldn't have ideas of what people will be like. Another thing that made me realize what a big world it is, is that there were so many homeless people in the streets and in the parks because the weather is much more temperate than it is here in minnesota. What really made me mad was that people just walked by and mothers or fathers with their kids would tell them not to look at them. I didn't bring money around with me, but I always smiled at them because they seem so lonely. I wish that their helplessness would be brought into the media more often so that things would be better for everyone and that stereotypical barriers would be broken down.  

British Imperialism in Africa paragraph

To group: This is my paragraph!

Firstly, a main cause of British imperialism in Africa was the scramble for Africa, or in other words, the race for new colonies in Africa and the things brought with it. Due to extreme nationalism, the countries of Europe considered their civilization and way of life to be superior to all others. Britain was currently the greatest power in Europe so they claimed vast territorial expansions such as South Africa, Egypt, Sudan, Nigeria, and Rhodesia, just to name a few. The emergence of new political thoughts in the late 19th century, particularly Social Darwinism, increased the feelings that the European nations had a duty to bring civilization and religion to the "savages" of Africa. This made imperialism acceptable for the whole of Europe. Of course, Britain as being the most advanced country from having the first industrial revolution, took this to heart and supported the Christian missionaries politically and even militarily because the missionaries usually went too far. To add to the effects was Rudyard Kipling's peom, "The White Man's Burden" in which the British writer explains the responsibility of white people to govern non-white people, so that apparently it served as justification of British imperialism in Africa. Overall, the desire for new colonies in Africa and the deployment of Christian missionaries resulted in more harm done than the so-called good intentions of the British.

MLA: I have posted MLA on the other 2 blog posts summarizing my sources. 

British Imperialism in Africa 2

For the second post on my paper, I read an online article detailing social darwinism and its connection with imperialism and racism. Social Darwinism is the based off of Darwin's theory of evolution involving natural selection or survival of the fittest. The difference between Social Darwinism and Darwinism is that Social Darwinism is applied to humans or a race. This is what caused the idea that races are superior to other ones which eventually brought about the sense of extreme nationalism and desire for your own country to be the best. This aided the justification of Imperialism so that the British could do what they wanted to without having to be questioned about the morals or ethics of what they, or any other European nation, was doing. 

MLA:

"Social Darwinism." MSN Encarta. 2008. Microsoft Corporation. 22 Mar 2009 .