Switzerland: Trevor Hinton and Jasmine Gladden
special thanks to Marie Burelli and Frank Jordans who helped with my research and knowledge of the Switzerland election system.
Freedom
How would you define freedom?
I would define freedom as the liberty to do whatever you want, whenever you want under certain circumstances. You’re able to make your own choices and decisions.
· No set boundaries
· No restrictions
· Ability to obtain life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness
· Just and equal
· Voice
· Belief
· Emotion
· Not under any one else control
· To speak or not to speak
· Privileged
· Do anything
· No government oppression
· Restriction free
Prison Population rates: x/100,000
1) United States (753)
2) Saint Kits (660)
3) Russia (609)
4) Rwanda (593)
5) Virgin Islands (US) (561)
6) Cuba (531)
7) British Virgin Islands (488)
8) Georgia (483)
9) Palau (483)
10) Beliz (478)
Reason why prison population numbers are high
· Strict rules
· Power
· Freedom
· No fear
· Drugs
· Violence
· Property
· Public order
· Harsher laws
· Racial turmoil
· Murder
· Sexual offenses
· Burglary and robbery
· Theft/identity
Race
10 points of interest
· Race is a modern idea
· Race had no genetic basis
· Slavery predates race
· Race and freedom were born together
· Race justified social inequalities as natural
· Human subspecies don’t exist
· Skin color is only skin deep
· Most variation is within and not between races
· Race is not biological but racism is still real
· Colorblindness will not end racism
One idea that I think strikes, as surprising is the idea that race is modern. Back then they said people were grouped by religion or language or social status. I still consider that happening today. So saying race is modern is sort of a contradiction to all the facts given because people were categorized by race centuries ago.
“race is a social construction”
For this project I learned
the different methods physical therapist use to diagnose their patients. By looking
at the results I gathered I was able to create an exercise program he the Drexel
student to help improve her sense of balance. After going over the program the patient
was given 5 weeks to continue the exercise program and come back after the 5
weeks to see how much she has improved. Although there were some obvious improvements, there were also some
areas where more work was needed.
Perspective changes everything and we always need to be aware of
how perspective influences us...
Perspective is always there and what keeps are minds aware. In English class Mr. Block always made sure we as his students always see or look at things in perspective. Perspective is needed when learning because no one can look at anything in one perspective because if you are, then you will really learn nothing at all.
In class we had to use perspective when we were looking through the “Feminist Lenses”. We had to look through situations in history through different lenses because "through different lenses,what do we discover?" We had to look through it as a woman or man. How would they see the situation? It really pulled everyone from their seats because you had to rewire you brain to think as a woman who was all about woman empowerment or as man who saw that all women do was wrong. It helped keep the mind dynamic because you had to switch roles fast when playing in the Feminist Lens.In another time I had to look at things in perspective but also using art. We had to create a dance for “The Art In The Open” for the Leah Stein Dance Company. I had to use perspective because I had to see how choreography would look through my eyes but also my partners and the audience because “art can be the most powerful language." I had to make sure that the audience could see the choreography at all times and continually changes are positions. We also had to make sure the audience heard and understand out story behind the dancing and why we choose specific moves. That is a time we had to incorporate art into our perspective.
Another piece that I though that would use perspective was my
French/Haitian Revolution Role Play. I
felt this one also use perspective because we all had to play roles of people
who existed during that time because "every character played a role in the
revolution." This role play had to use perspective because everyone
constantly changed roles and had to speak and think for their character. We had
to use perspective because we had to see a situation through their eyes and not
their own.
For our English class we had to start a Poetry blog. It was difficult at first because " I
would just enjoy reading it but never capable of writing it." At
first it was okay because the poems were easy to write about. Then it got
really hard because we had to write an ode to inanimate objects. I choose a
clock and I had to write about a deeper meaning a clock had. I had to look at
it from a perspective in an artful manner, which was hard because it wasn't me
at all. But it challenged me to push out of my box and do something more
creative. Writing from a perspective of what is the message behind a clock
helped my writing become more creative.
Overall I have learned many things in Mr. Block class. But perspective is one the lessons that stood out to me. It will be something I will use for the future. Perspective is what everyone needs to see life in a different light. Everything I had to do or create in Mr. Block class has taught me that. I am thankful for all the opportunities we had to learn that and everything we got to do. This has been a great sophomore year that I will never forget.
One person can have a huge impact on history. I realized that taking a key player out can also have a drastic change. If one person can gather thousands of people to rally for a change in society of course eliminating them will have a different outcome. So in my project I mentioned Malcolm X being more of a aggressive leader so by taking him out there will be more positive energy to go around. The positivity would eventually lead to a more peaceful solution.
If I could do this project I would ask more thoughtful questions in the interview. In my interview I talked more about what has happened after because of Malcolm X's death than what lead up to it. That is something I would definitely change next time. Also in my interview I mentioned several family members to Malcolm X but next time I plan to make it more clear to the audience who are actually the family members. Overall I am very happy of my project's outcome.
My point of divergence is during Paul Revere's midnight ride. There is a point in which he came across a couple of British officers on horseback and had to evade them. He really had managed to, but I changed it so they had actually caught him. As a result of this, the future I envisioned is the United States remaining a British territory and potentially being called British America. This came to be because Paul Revere was making the ride to warn Samuel Adams and John Hancock that the British were coming to arrest them due to their involvement in a potential rebellion. Since Paul Revere never reached his destination, I made it so Adams and Hancock got arrested. Adams was an avid leader when it came to the rebellion and Hancock was an rich and influential man (who was going to be elected to be President of the Continental Congress the month after he escaped arrest), so I made it so that when people heard about them being arrested (due to being exposed by a British spy, who had reported to British General Thomas Gage) they began to get suspicious of everyone and could not organize themselves enough to start a full-on rebellion.
I liked that this project called for a little bit of story-telling and gives a view as to how a butterfly effect can happen. I think the most challenging was making the story believable; there could be many loopholes of what could have happened instead of what you want to happen and you have to be sure to cover everything. The most interesting fact I uncovered was that Samuel Adams, John Hancock and Paul Revere (among others) were all a part of a group called the Mechanics who organized rebellions and plans to achieve freedom from the British and that there were really spies in their midst. In fact, the only reason why Adams and Hancock were to be arrested is because a spy discovered that they were powerful leaders who lead rebellious attacks and were a danger to British rule. The spy reported to General Thomas Gage, and he organized their arrest.
The actions of individuals impact the historical record because a lot of history deals with a group of people and a leader or numerous leaders. Whether or not the people follow a leader affects the course of history and the side the people are on also affects history. If a leader didn't step forward to guide people, then the majority would probably be afraid to step forth and make a change. Systemic changes impact the historical record because systemic changes is what usually leads to a change in the people, in general. For example, one of the reasons colonists began to retaliate against the British is because they were being taxed quite obscenely and though they were being taxed, they weren't being represented properly. They didn't want the high taxes or want the Acts the British tried to pass that taxed them, though not directly (as the Stamp Act had), and so they started to fight against their rule and the colonies started to establish their own mini-governments. One decision could change everything in history, especially if the choices are worlds apart. One decision could impact how things are handled and what happens to certain people. The decision hold even more power if it is from a very influential person who is high on the social ladder.
I think the project could be improved by giving us a set presentation style. I feel like I didn't really know where to go when it came to presenting the project and I wasn't entirely sure as to how long it should be or if I was adding things that weren't needed. If I had to do it over, I would read the history around the revolution (and that time period in general) because though I knew a lot about it, I wanted to go back and check everything and in the end, I actually had to alter my point of divergence and explain a lot of history that I didn't expect to explain.
“Until the lions have their own historians, the history of the hunt will always glorify the hunter.”
What does this proverb mean?
The hunter is the man. The lions are the animals that will never have their story told. The hunter will always be seen as the good guy because he is the winner. Only the stories of winners are told.
List an example to which you think this proverb applies too:
I think this proverb applies to the story of Christopher Columbus. Although he helped discover America, there were already people on the land, the Native Americans. And Christopher Columbus went into America and slaughter, hurt, and raped the natives.