For Research: "Holocaust Video Testimony"

Video testimony of Holocaust victims tells personal stories and experiences while allowing the viewer to see the emotion found in the men and women who endured this process. Video testimony brings an amount of interest that a book could never bring. 


In a way, the videos add credibility to the stories being told. Someone would have to go to an extreme amount of trouble to fake a Holocaust testimony video. The reality of the situation is brought to light in the videos.


Sources:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=endscreen&v=72EHKDgL2Rc&NR=1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p6ptSNgun4s

For Research: "Human Rights vs. Civil Rights"

Human rights are rights that every human is automatically given upon birth, regardless of race, sex, nationality, or ethnicity.


A civil rights in an enforceable right or privilege, which may cause harm if interfered with. 


Human rights include: the right to life, equality before the law, freedom of expression, rights to work, social security, educational opportunity, and the rights to development. 


Civil rights include: freedom of press, speech, and assembly, equality in public places, freedom from involuntary servitude, and the right to vote. 


Sources:
http://www.law.cornell.edu/wex/Civil_rights
http://www.ohchr.org/en/issues/Pages/WhatareHumanRights.aspx

For Research: "Nuremberg Laws of 1935"

First declared at a Nazi rally in Nuremberg in 1935, these laws called for the exclusion of Jews from German life, as well as taking away some of the Jews' natural rights. Two laws were included in the Nuremberg Laws: Reichsburgergesetz and  Gesetz zum Schutze des Deutschen Blutes und der Deutschen Ehre.


Reichsburgergesetz (Law of the Reich Citizen) was designed to take citizenship from the Jews, leaving only those with blood ties to Germany to live as members of the Reich.


Gesetz zum Schutze des Deutschen Blutes und der Deutschen Ehre (Law For the protection of German Blood and German Honor) was designed to make it illegal for a Jew to marry a German. 

Due to the laws, Jews could not vote, have independence, and had difficulty in doing things such as shopping or going to the theater. 

Source:

http://www.thenagain.info/webchron/WestEurope/NuremLaws.html

For Research: "Mandelstam After Arrest"

Osip Mandelstam was a prominent poet during Stalin's reign; known for Stalin's Epigram, in which Mandelstam openly criticized Stalin. The government did not like Mandelstam's works, resulting in the poets arrest on May 13, 1934. 


After his arrest, Mandelstam was exiled to Cherdyn, only allowed to return to Moscow in May of 1937. During the Great Purge, Mandelstam refused to adopt Social Realism, causing him to be attacked by the public. In addition to being attacked, he was accused of having anti-Soviet views, causing more conflict for the poet. 


After months of attack, Mandelstam was arrested in 1938 and charged with "counter-revolutionary activities". His sentence was to serve five years in correction camps. The poet was to transported to a Siberian transit camp to serve the duration of his sentence.

Mandelstam did not finish his sentence due to his death in a transit camp near Vladivostock on December 7, 1938. There are many supposed causes of death, including: heart failure, typhus, and insanity. 

Life in exile had its issues, including lack of food, work, and communication with friends and family. As for the correction camps in which the poet was imprisoned, the conditions are unclear but one can infer the brutal and inhumane conditions based onthe result of his stay. 

Sources:

Kipreyeva, Alyona. "Prominent Russians: Osip Mandelstam". <http://russiapedia.rt.com/prominent-russians/literature/osip-mandelstam/>

<http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/RUSmandelstam.htm>

For Research: "Ethical Guidelines for Journalists"

Journalists, although writing cutting-edge stories that are filled with drama and information, have certain guidelines that are to be followed, including:

• Seek Truth and Report It
• Test accuracy, identify sources, question sources' motives, avoid undercover ways of acquiring information, NEVER PLAGIARIZE, avoid stereotypes, support different views, give voice to the voiceless, and distinguish news from advertising.
• Minimize Harm
• Show compassion, be sensitive, recognize possible harm/discomfort, recognize privacy, show good taste, be cautious of the subject, and think of the criminal and his right to trial and accusation before being formally charged. 
• Act Independently
• Avoid conflict, avoid credibility harming situations, refuse anything that could compromise integrity, be vigilant, and avoid information for pay. 
• Be Accountable
• Clarify and explain, encourage public grievances, admit and correct mistakes, expose unethical practices, and abide by high standards.

Sources:

SPJ Code of Ethics. <http://www.spj.org/ethicscode.asp>

Blogging Notes: "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest"

1. Personal liberation, in the book, can be seen as setting one's self free, rather allowing the staff to control them. The book isn't really anti-woman, it just shows them in a different light-the bossy ones, the religious ones, and the whores. The "good" female characters aren't mean and see the patients as people rather than mental patients and freaks that should be feared. This book has a woman in power for the most part, as in other books the men normally hold the power. 
2. "Ratched" alludes to the word "ratchet" which is a tool with teeth on it. The teeth on the tool symbolize Nurse Ratched's harsh ways and unrestrained power. 
3. In this era, American women were becoming more prominent, holding more power and leverage in society. 
4. I don't see the book as racist, but it has racist tendencies; especially when talking about the aides (the "black boys"). African-Americans were not as integrated in society at this time. 
5. McMurphy is almost a saint sent to the ward in the patients' eyes. The electroshock table is shaped like a cross and there is talk about a crown of thorns, alluding to Jesus and his crucifixion. Candy can be seen as a teasing substance to McMurphy, but I'm not sure how that goes along with any religious ties. 
6. As in America at the time, the introduction of a new character and way of life completely changes the course society takes. The nature of the revolt is brought on by one person causing the rest of the people to rebel; the domino effect. 
7. This shows that McMurphy has experience in nonconformity and defiance. Communists were a big topic during this time, resulting in paranoia in America. In the ward, Nurse Ratched is the communist, while the patients are America, as shown when Chief believes Nurse Ratched is changing the time on the clocks. 
8. Chief is a reliable narrator, until influenced by some kind of drug or anything along the lines of that. The fact that he is an Indian represents the struggle Indians have gone through in their lives and how Chief is struggling in the ward. Chief thinks the Combine is out to control every aspect of the ward and its patients. His liberation takes the form of going against the ward and eventually escaping. 
9. There are many instances in the book where Chief goes off from the story into his own little world where he recalls fragments of occurrences from his childhood and things like that. 
10. In the 1960s, drugs were everywhere. Hippies had weed, crack, meth, acid, etc. This book tells us about the use of drugs and the view of the use of drugs in society. 
11. The book expresses many of the same ideas and thoughts of the rebels of the 1960s.
12. This recalls the book Gulliver's Travels and its opinion and relationship with society and its actions. This period was a time of rebellion withing the country; the government was corrupt and the people were going crazy. In Kesey's eyes, modern America has become too concerned with conformity and does not know how to change what is going on in the world. 
13. The book seems cynical because of how Nurse Ratched runs the ward. She overrules the vote during the World Series debate because she wanted to win. 
14. This hows that the radicalists in the 1960s will end up in mental facilities due to their constant drug use and their ideas. 
15. McMurphy is a control freak; he is power hungry. With gambling, he knows how to work the cards to his benefit and outsmart his opponents. The authorities see him as a cheater due to the fact that he wins all the time, only for his benefit. 
16. Considering the constant machine references, Big Nurse could symbolize the government, which is a machine in a way. The government, at the time controlled everything, as does Nurse Ratched. 
17. The portrays liberation as personal freedom, mental and physical. Liberation, in a political sense, is the representation of the community by one person, not fully guaranteeing one's personal freedom or expression of ideas. 
18. When Chief has his dreams and flashbacks, it is apparent that Kesey was under the influence of some form of drug. Look at the word choice and description of what is going on. There are also instances where spelling and grammar just fly out the window, showing his influence. 
19. Laughter is a theme of the book because of the seriousness of society during the time. For Kesey, it serves as an escape from reality. 
20. The "loonies" see the world from a different perspective than the "normal" society, showing that they have their own thoughts, rather than society's thoughts. Insanity is the only sane response to an insane world. Crime can be seen as a matter of sanity, rather than a matter of motive. Social policy would be affected by this by the changing outlook of the citizens on the world, altering their decisions. 
21. Kesey wants society to lighten up and have some fun. The best way to reform society is to think to an extent, but not think too much. 
22. There is a great amount of imagery and similes in the novel, showing the true nature of Kesey as a person, as well as the characters in the novel. It gives readers and Kesey something to use to picture what is going on in the novel. 

For Research: "Sweatshops"

Sweatshops exist all over the world. The awful conditions provide for the hatred of the sweatshop practice. Conditions and abuses in sweatshops consist of: wages so low, the workers cannot meet the basic standards of living, dangerous and substandard working and living conditions, uncompensated overtime, and sexual harassment. 


Consumers buying products made in sweatshops range anywhere from people who buy Nikes to people who buy groceries from WalMart. Anyone buying any product can unknowingly buy products made in sweatshops. 


There have been, and are, many struggling efforts to change the use and conditions of sweatshops. There are countless websites and informational articles on the change of sweatshops for the better. 


Sources:
http://www.mtholyoke.edu/~nshah/fashioncrimes/Sweatshops.html

For Research: "Struggle for Women's Suffrage"

On the path to suffrage for women in the United States, the fighting women faced many hardships. Women's suffrage was first proposed in the Seneca Falls Women's Rights Convention in July of 1848. Radical movements, such as picketing the White House, were tactics used in attempt to gain suffrage. In 1913, Alice Paul led a women's rights march around the White House on the day of President Woodrow Wilson's inauguration. Paul did the same thing again on the day of Wilson's second inauguration.  

Women's rights advocates liked to use humor to make their point, as seen in Alice Duer Miller's "Why We Don't Want Men to Vote". This literary work uses humor in addressing the man's concern in politics, a man's place in society, and man's emotional status. 

Just like the abolitionists, women's rights activists simply wanted their specific focus of people to have equal rights as compared to the white men that controlled the country at the time. 

Sources:

Lewis, Jone Johnson. "August 26, 1920: The Day the Suffrage Battle Was Won". <http://womenshistory.about.com/od/suffrage1900/a/august_26_wed.htm>

For Research: "Emancipation Proclamation and the 13th Amendment"

Abraham Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation did not abolish slavery, as many people believe, but simply freed a select group of slaves. The Emancipation Proclamation, give on September 23, 1862, stated that all slaves currently in states that were rebelling against the Union were freed from slavery. 


The Thirteenth Amendment to the Constitution, on the other hand, is the prohibition of slavery. This amendment stated that slavery is an illegal practice and will no longer be used as a form of labor by any means of the word. The Thirteenth Amendment set every slave free forever. 


Sources:
http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/USAS13.htm

For Research: "Cherokees After Removal"

After Jackson's removal of the Cherokee Indians, the Cherokee's hardships were not completely over with as of yet. After being forced from their homes, the Cherokee had to endure the eight hundred mile journey to Oklahoma, which was to be their new home. This long, painful journey was called by the Cherokee, the Trail of Tears. 


The Cherokee that were making the journey to Oklahoma faced many hardships on the Trail of Tears, including: famine, disease, exhaustion, and dehydration. Not all of those on the journey rode horses or wagons, many walked a great amount of the trail, causing many health concerns. Of the 15,000 Cherokees to begin the journey, over 4,000 died. 


Sources:
"The Trail of Tears". <http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aia/part4/4h1567.html>

For Research: "Rousseau's Influence on the French Revolution"

In relation to the French Revolution, Jean Jacques Rousseau was the inspiration behind the conservative, liberal, and socialist theory. Rousseau saw a divide between society and human nature, which was a major contribution to the Revolution. Rousseau spoke of man's state of nature as a time when man was naturally good, as compared to society in his present in which man was made to be good through the use of laws and rights. 

Rousseau's ideas of man's state of nature and civil state proved a catalyst to the French Revolution that occurred. French citizens began taking notice of Rousseau's words and thoughts and decided to take action against the government that was corrupting them, the people. The main source of Rousseau's influence is The Social Contract, which clearly shows and tells of the goodness of the human race in its natural state. 

Sources:

 syzygyastro. "The French Revolution, Locke and Rousseau. <http://syzygyastro.hubpages.com/hub/The-French-Revolution-Locke-and-Rousseau>

For Research: "Ancient Roman Slavery Citizenship"

In Ancient Rome, for a slave to become a free citizen, the slave had to meet certain conditions for citizenship. For a slave to become a free citizen, the slave must be over thirty years of age, he must be owned by his master with quiritary right, and must be set free by manumission (Gaius 17).

If the slave is under the age of thirty, other conditions must be met. A slave under thirty years of age can become a Roman citizen by manumission if he has been declared free in the will of a bankrupt master and appointed as his heir, provided that he is not excluded by another heir (Gaius 21). The slave must be declared an heir to gain Roman citizenship.  

Sources:

Gaius, The Institutes 

Angela's Ashes Questions (Limerick)

1. I think the people of Limerick believe their judgments are justified and accurate. The fairness of the judgment is a little iffy due to the fact that the people judging did not live McCourt's life. Just because you live in the same city, does not mean that your condition of life is the same. 
2. Honestly, I doubt the people living where I do would really care if there was a book to be published that was set in the city. Sure, some people would have their criticisms of the book and some people would actually be excited. For the most part, many people would not even know that the book was published, let alone read it. Maybe their curiosity would get the best of them. Where I live, different people have different perspectives. To each his own. There is no telling what the book would consist of. 

For Research: "How are Amendments Proposed/Ratified?"

Amendments to the Constitution are not simply thought of and put into the Constitution. Each proposed amendment must be ratified by three-quarters of the states of the country. The Amendment is put through a ratification process in which Congress deliberates on the Amendment's ability to help the country and whether or not the Amendment is reasonable and just (Cox).

First, the legislature must pass an act proposing a change to the Constitution. Once passed, the proposed amendments are put onto a ballot. Voting is held. For the ratification of a Constitutional amendment, majority vote for ratification must be acquired (Unknown 1).


Sources:
Unknown, http://www.house.leg.state.mn.us

Cox, Kathryn. APUSH

For Research: "Roman Slavery vs. American Slavery"

Roman slavery, in its entirety, was in a better state of execution than the American form of slavery. In Rome, slaves were not necessarily African born people that were brought to the country like the origins of American slavery were. The Roman slaves were more often prisoners of war, or simply children born into slave families. As in the American slavery system, Romans had an operational slave market in which slaves were bought and sold. Slaves that were bought were taken by their new owners to work on either a farm, the owner's business, or to be servants (I. A. Background).


Contrasting the harsh American slave system, the slaves holding positions in ancient Roman times were treated fairly well. There were distinct guidelines for slave owners to follow; these rules included how much clothing, food, and water was given to each category of slave. Categories were such as: servants, field laborers, and labor masters (slaves in charge of slaves). American slaves were treated much worse. Slaves lived in extremely poor conditions; sometimes housing five families in a one room shack or something along those lines. Slaves were underfed and under-dressed, suffering even more than being made to labor for their owners (I. A. How Good)


Sources:
I. A., Background: What is Slavery? 
I. A., How Good Were Slaves Actually Treated?

"Knavery's Plain Face is Never Seen Till Used."

"I follow to serve my turn upon him."

     "I'm serving under him to take advantage of him."

"In following him, I but follow myself."

     "I may seem to love and obey him, but in fact, I'm just serving him to get what I want."

"For when my outward action doth demonstrate the native act and figure of my heart in compliment extern, 'tis not long after but I will wear my heart upon my sleeve for daws to peck at."

     "If my outward appearance started reflecting what I really felt, soon enough I'd be wearing my heart on my sleeve for birds to peck at."

"I am not what I am."

     "I'm not who I appear to be."

-Iago did not become Othello's lieutenant. 

-The rumor that Othello slept with Iago's wife. 

There is evidence of the fact that Iago did not become Othello's lieutenant. There is no evidence of Othello sleeping with Iago's wife.

Iago makes his thought of destroying Othello justified by telling himself that it has to be true. He's a Moor and they are awful. He is constantly giving himself positive feedback and "patting himself on the back" with the words he says in his head. 

TIM and Mark Antony Speech Comparison

In both speeches, TIM and Mark Antony end up getting the crowds into ssome form of riot type act after their speeches.

Also, the two men have similar forms of speaking. Although Antony's speech is in Old English format, the style is still evident throughout the speech.

"The Devil and Tom Walker" Interview Script

Fire and Brimstone with Abby G.

     Coming to you from the fiery pits of Hell, it's Fire and Brimstone!

1. Tom, were you concerned at all when your wife disappeared?
• You know, I really wasn't. I was so ready to get that woman as far away from me as possible, it wasn't even funny. 
2. Mrs. Walker, are you upset with your husband's answer to the previous question?
• Honestly, not really. I don't like him, he doesn't like me. We got married because it seemed fun and we wanted to have kids before we died. We were at the tavern one night, and BAM, gotta get married. 
3. Mr. Devil, why did you do what you did?
• For the fun of it, of course. What isn't fun about conning a man out of his life, as well as other humans?
4. Tom, what were you thinking when the Devil came to your door?
• I was just like, "Holy crap. Where's my Bible when I need it?" I tried to grab one of the two I had in the room, but this guy just wouldn't let me get one. So now I'm here with you in this great place. 
5. Mrs. Walker, why did you take all of the portable valuable items with you when you disappeared?
• I was running away from my husband, so as an extra boost to my living, I decided to take everything he could possibly sell to make up for my absence, so he'd have absolutely nothing. He'd realize he needed me all along. But why would I care? I'd be living big and bad if it wasn't for the incident that happened that night. 
6. Tom, why did you make a deal with the Devil?
• What kind of stupid question is that? Isn't it obvious? Money. I wanted to be rich. I wanted to have as many nice things as I could possibly get my hands on. I wanted everything. But, in the end, I lost everything. And it's all his fault! 
7. Mr. Devil, why is it that you walk around with an axe thrown over your shoulder?
• Well one, it attracts the ladies, and two, it's very useful for many tasks that I always find myself in need of accomplishing. 
8. Mrs. Walker, why do you behave so aggressively?
• I'm tough. That's just how I am. But, if you want to know the truth...I was put into tough situations as a child, and maybe I lash out on people because of this. It was hard growing up in my family back in the day, and I realize now that I'm here, that I shouldn't have behaved the way I did while I could.
9. Tom, do you, or have you ever considered the Devil as a friend?
• You know what, when we first talked in the woods, I thought him to be a good guy with a bad reputation, but now that he's gotten me, I can't stand the guy. If I had the chance or if it was possible, I would kill him, or at least beat him within an inch of his pathetic little life. 
10. So Mrs. Walker, what really happened that night when you left your home for the last time?
• Well, I'm not really sure. All I remember is a big black figure jumping on top of me, then I woke up here. I'm sure the Devil knows exactly what I'm talking about. Or maybe my husband?

Elizabethan Insults

"Forsooth! Thou art a froward hedge-born jack-a-nape!"
     This means you're a low born monkey/ape of a man.
"Verily, ye be a yeasty weather-bitten malt-worm!"
     This means you're annoying, stupid, and ugly.
"Verily, ye be a craven eye-offending malkin!"
     This means you're an ugly coward. 
"Ye froward pale-hearted scantling!"
     This means you're a small, unbearable coward.
"Forsooth! Thou art a rank clay-brained flap-dragon!"
     This means you're a stinky, stupid pox.

"Letter From Birmingham Jail" Style and Structure Questions (pg. 610-611)

1. In the first four paragraphs. 
2. Paragraph five. 
3. Then, but, moreover, now, "Things are different now". 
4. King shows that it is not just the black community that has had to deal with the crisis happening at the time, and to show the white clergymen and the other audience members that great minds believe in ending the battle between the two races. 
5. To show the clergymen that he is an educated man, not just some random black man fighting for his rights. Also to give examples of situations similar to his own. 
6. Inductive: "Now what is the difference between the two?" This leads King into the next point in his argument. Deductive: "A just law is a man-made code that squares with the moral law or the law of God." This brings about supporting evidence on another one of King's topics. 
7. King brings himself and the white moderates together seemingly. He wants to unite them with a common goal. King is somewhat successful in doing this.