Journal #1

1. Pretend that you are talking to a blind man and have to describe for him what "red" is. You should use narrative and descriptive writing techniques, and try to appeal to his other senses!

Red is the color of the season autumn. It is bright and exiting and it keeps you moving. It is the color of your blood. Of the warm fire that keeps you cozy in a cold night. It is the color the sun creates as it sets behind the ocean. It is the color of a rose you receive for your most memorable moment. It’s the color your lips take after coming in from a snowy day and drink hot chocolate to warm up. It is the color of love and infatuation. Red is life and vitality … it is a strong emotion like excitement, energy, speed, strength, danger, passion, aggression and sacrifice.

Journal #2

2. How does competition function in our society? To what extent is it healthy/unhealthy? Offer some real world examples taken from your life, community, culture, state, nation, or world.

Competition can be both healthy in a way and unhealthy. In many occasions competition can bring out the most of someone. It can encourage individuals to try harder to achieve what they want instead of someone else getting it. It pushes people to the edge of hard work and maybe even improve. Although the tables can turn and it can bring the worst in someone. It can lead people to go to extreme measures to obtain what they cannot. It can lead to cheating which in any occasion is perceived as wrong and lazy. Competition is healthy and unhealthy to a certain extent. For example competition to gain more power between the nation, cultures, community can often lead to a war, but sometimes it can lead to a discusion that opens your mind to different perspectives.

Journal #3

3. How have you taken something that you have learned in the classroom and integrated it into your nonacademic life?

In theory of knowledge I have learned to perceive things from different views. I have learned that emotion and logic are very important components of people’s lives and that many things can influence the way we are, such as our beliefs, history and cultural background. Now every time I am told a story weather historical or someone’s experience I immediately start to think of different point of views. What might have influenced action and what everyone might be thinking or feeling? I start to think weather actions taken and if everything in the story is logical or not and what might of influenced those that logical or non-logical thinking.

Journal #4

4. If you could go back in time and be someone in history, who would you choose to be? Why?

If I could go back in history I would like to be a person like Maya Angelou. I believe Angelou is dependent strong woman that wasn’t afraid to speak her mind and cite all of the obvious injustices going on that everyone was blinded by and perceived them as the “correct” way to be. She was proud of whom she was and nobody could make her believe different. Angelou wasn’t just born in a time when people of color where inferior if not also a time when woman had no voice or little say in what was going on. A time where nobody cared about you if you an African-American especially not an African-American woman. That’s exactly what Maya Angelou was a proud African-American woman whiling to fight for justice of equality for her people of race. Angelou’s famous autobiography, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, illustrates how will power and strength of character and a love of literature can help overcome racism and trauma. She also was active in the Civil Rights movement, and served as Northern Coordinator of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s Southern Christian Leadership Conference.

Journal #5

5. If you had the responsibility to decide where $1 million should be spent to improve conditions somewhere in the world, what project(s) would you choose? Why?

I think that if I had one million dollars to improve conditions somewhere in the world I would either spend that money on world. To begin, everyone knows world hunger is such a devastating state to be in and no almost no one is capable of giving a helping hand to those that need supplies to survive. As humans we should logically be united and be compassionate and give to those who need. The United States for example is one of the biggest funders that give money when other areas need it when disasters occur, but to the amount of money the United States makes it is almost nothing compared to what it could give/ donate.  There are millions of people with no food that depend on eating whatever they can find; sometimes the deprivation of food can lead to many deaths. Why can’t we all give up a little and share it with those who need it. Why must we be vast consumers and not share with people that cannot grow their own food due to highly dried areas.

Journal #6

6. How have you tried to effect change in relation to an issue of personal, local, or national significance?

Lately I have been becoming more involved in cleaning our mother earth. Earth is our home and should be treated with respect, but every day you constantly see trash out in our streets, parks, oceans and everywhere. Pollution is what’s leading the earth to die; therefore we will slowly die as well. About a month ago I went to an ocean force clean up event where you grab trash bags and you go to the beach and clean up. Sounds simple right? but in the end almost no one showed up. At the clean up the organizers told us to focus on the almost microscopic pieces of trash that are almost done decomposing because they are the most harmful. He told us that if a fish eats that tiny piece of trash and then humans go kill it, cook it and eat it, then they are too eating that tiny trash that can produce cancer. We began to observe the ground closely and it was ridiculous amounts of tiny decomposed trash. It was amazing the abundant amount and to think people aren’t even aware. I am trying to get more involved in beach clean ups and anything ecological. Now every time I am at the beach or at school or anywhere I pick up after myself and tell others to pick up after themselves as well.

Journal #7

7. If you could introduce one new idea or material thing to a primitive culture, what would it be?