Democracy Poetry Reading

Democracy will not come Today, this year Nor ever Through compromise and fear. I have as much right As the other fellow has To stand On my two feet And own the land. I tire so of hearing people say, Let things take their course. Tomorrow is another day. I do not need my freedom when I'm dead. I cannot live on tomorrow's bread. Freedom Is a strong seed Planted In a great need. I live here, too. I want freedom Just as you.

Haiti Podcast Analysis

Children are often portrayed as innocent and insignificant beings. And why is that? Because we don’t try to change our image. We are not insignificant. We can be helpful. As a matter of fact, we can be just as helpful as adults in relation to the Haiti catastrophe. Adults all over the world are collecting money, clothes and other aid for Haitians. Who says that children can’t do the same? We can organize fundraisers just like adults. We can make that little extra effort to help those in need. Just like the doctors on NPR said, the problem is just going to get worse, which means we need to help even more. We need to do everything we possibly can to assist Haitians in the aftermath of the terrible earthquake.

Young people can contribute to the relief efforts by sending clothes, money and food to Haiti. Well, how do you begin? By going through your closet, and checking which clothes still fit you, and if they don’t give them to a charity for Haiti. You could also start by babysitting, organizing a bake-sale or having a yard-sale, and giving all the benefits to Haiti. Lastly, you could either buy canned food – or send food you already have to the cause. All kinds of charities are sending money, and other aids to Haiti, so you can give everything you have collected to one of those charities – and they will do the rest. Your school is also a great place to begin your efforts.

On the NPR Podcast Doctor Daniel Fitzgerald described the different stages of the health aftermath. He claims that ‘the situation will only get worse day by day’. The final stage of the health aftermath is going to be chaos and lack of security. To ease this ‘lack of security’, the Haitians need to be supplied with enough food, so that they aren’t tempted, and in some cases, forced into stealing. Sadly, it has already come to this point...and most Haitians don’t have enough supplies. Many rescue teams are in Haiti, working full time, but it’s just not enough. They need more supplies; and more aid in general. Haitians need all the help they can get, and currently they don’t have that.

Haiti is in chaos, and the rest of the world needs to help.

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=122556026

TOS Anticipation Guide

1. Politics and political problems are a subject for adults to deal with.
I agree, because children are too young to vote, so even if they have an opinion they can’t change anything in the political world. Even if they were extremely devoted to their cause, children are viewed as immature and rash by adults, so they would never be taken seriously. Also adults are often more informed about politics than children, so they can handle problems relevant to politics more reasonably than children. Adults have experienced more in their lives than children have, so in a crisis they are better prepared. Most decisions that politicians make greatly affect adults, not children. For those reasons adults are much more qualified to deal with political problems than children.

2. All situations can have a happy ending if those involved work hard towards it.
I both agree and disagree. I disagree, because often when terrible scenarios occur, the people involved are depressed and crushed. If a person is so strongly affected by a loss, I don’t believe that person can ever fully recover, which means there is no happy ending. On the other hand, when you lose a family member, or something of the sort, you can keep living your life – and not dwell on the negative things. When someone has achieved this, I think they can be happy regardless. So I believe it actually depends on the person themselves.

3. Literacy is a form of freedom.
I completely agree. Books are full of imagination, and that is definitely a form of freedom, because it distracts you from reality. Writing also evokes imagination, and you can create your own world – giving you endless opportunities. Because of the freedom of speech, you also have the right to write anything, which is a clear form of freedom. So, literacy is definitely a form of freedom – but only for those who realize it is.

4. Civilizations without a written language cannot effectively document history.
I disagree, because lots of ancient civilizations have kept clear records of their lives with songs, paintings, and stories. For example, many African civilizations have kept their ancestries alive just by passing on folk songs to the younger generations. African people also often had story tellers in their villages, and that also helped keep their ancestries alive. Cave drawings have also informed historians nowadays about civilizations long ago, and the people that created them only drew simple paintings on walls. I believe that civilizations can effectively document history without a written language.

5. Love at first sight is not possible. Like all endeavours, love takes time and perseverance.
I disagree. I believe in love at first sight completely, because even though you might not know someone that well, I think you can fall in love. Also, it has happened so many times in history – and it’s been recorded so many times, that I don’t believe all those people were lying. People always say that first impressions are the most important, and I firmly believe that. If someone looks perfect to you – or someone makes you feel so strongly for them immediately, I think it is love at first sight.