Meta - Post: Take 2

Endings are always a good time for reflection, and so as the school year wraps up another reflection is in order. I have made quite a few changes since the beginning of the year, for example the qualities of my titles has definitely gotten better as the year progressed. But the more intriguing changes I've made are in the content of my blogs and the connections I make from class to larger themes. Although the goal of these blogs was to relate class or everyday happening to "greater American themes", I honestly don't think I fully mastered that until about midway through 3rd quarter. 

It all began with a blog post titled "Today's Society Pill Poppin'", which was about how "White Noise" characters were dependent on a drug called Dylar and how it relates to the over-diagnosis problem with present day America. This blog included a quote from an in-class text, a link to a colleague's blog, a connection between something we learned in class to a present day phenomenon (plus it was commented on by Doc O'C!). 

After that post I'd like to say that my posts became radically more interesting however they were a bit watery because they were mostly stretched attempts at connecting my Junior Theme (on illegal immigrants in the agriculture industry) to various American or in-class themes. But one post that stood out to me was a post titled "Happy Farms", although this one did not include a comment from Doc O'C, it drew a contrast between how the food industry is perceived in the media. It including statistics and drew a parallel between illegal immigration and inhumane treatments of farm animals. I really liked this post because it included things that are current such as "Food Inc.", "Happy Farms", and "Farmville" and related it to things like my Junior Theme. All of these topics worked well together and they brought new interesting ideas to light. 

My posts really started to become tantalizing again in May, all of those posts were inspired by things I saw and things that were around me and that is what I think made certain post stronger than others.The fact that I kept the "American Studies Mindset" while conducting everyday things and was able to connect those things to "Greater American Themes" is what made certain blogs stronger. In "Don't we all want to be 'Oggsford' men?" I linked a sign I saw (and photographed) to the "Great Gatsby" and the theme of education playing a factor in status. This is evidence of me looking at things more critically and these are the types of blogs that end up being stronger than others. Overall I have progressed throughout the year in that I have been able to look at everyday things more critically, evidence by the last couple blogs of the year. 

******MY FAVORITE POST OF THE SEMESTER IS "DON'T WE ALL WANT TO BE 'OGGSFORD' MEN?" ***********************

Only one chance for first impressions

In my Journalism class today we were talking about laying out for the "Senior Destinations" issue, this issue is an issue that essentially lists all of the seniors and which colleges they will attend in the fall. This concept caught my attention because the "Senior Destinations" issue is just a way for kids and parents to show off about where they got into and where they are going.

Wrapping up my third year at New Trier, I have come to realize that there are so many different titles that New Trier uses that seem unnecessary.  By this I am referring to why gym class is called "Kinetic Wellness" class. Or why New Trier calls the language department the "Modern and Classical Language Department" or why the multipurpose room's formal name is the "Audio Visual EPI Center". All of these names and practices that New Trier carries out are a representation of the self-important feeling and need to show of that clouds New Trier.

However on a larger scale, I think America in general feels the same way. Wedding invitations are worded as an annoucement from the parents to show of the marriage of thier child and this overall are often made up to sounds "showier" than they actually are. In "White Noise" by Don DeLillo, DeLillo satirizes this aspect of American culture by naming the locations in his book things like "The Airport Marriot, the Downtown Travelodge, the Sheraton Inn, and Conference Center" (15). All of these locations are plain and named because they accurately describe the location, they are not showy or made up to be more than what it is. The names at New Trier and the names that we see in and around or community are a construction made to increase the face value of a location, thing, or entity. Since so much is based off of names, as my colleague Elise wrote in her blog, we try and increase general interest in our names by making them showier and more important than they actually might be.

What effect do you think showier names have on people?

Convenient Belief

I came across the above clip while watching the show "Make it or Break it" and it really reminded me of the discussion we had in class about "White Noise" by Don DeLillo. I'm specifically referencing the section of the book when the Jack talks to the nun about believing. The nun tells Jack, "The others who spend thier lives believing that we belieeve...To abandon such beliefs completely, the human race would die. That is why we are here. A tiny minority. To embody old beliefs" (303). 

This relates to the "Make it or Break it" videos because when Payson, the blonde in the blue jacket, says "I know that Otis is a silly good luck charm but he's something to believe in". Both the video and the excerpt from "White Noise" are examples of how even though people know that their beliefs aren't real or true they still want to believe in them. They may not fully believe in religion or good luck but convincing themselves to believe in that is better than not believing. I think that this trait is uniquely American because in most other countries religion and superstition are not really in question and people fully believe in that, but in America religion is not as prevalent and most only choose to believe when they are in need, which is the case in both the video and the excerpt. Even though about 75% of Americans affiliate themselves with a branch of Christianity the average weekly church attendance has declined. This suggests that even though people affiliate with different religious groups they don't truly believe by attending church and keeping up with a consistent belief. It supports the idea that people only believe when they need to, which in my opinion, is truly American.

Why do you think that people only believe when they need it? What other themes can this trend be applied to?

I'm Still A Guy

So I was inspired to write a blog analyzing this song, I'm Still A Guy by Brad Paisley, after seeing it on a colleague of mine, Natalie. I saw it on her blog, where she connected it to "White Noise" a book that we read in class. Natalie analyzed the song by drawing a parallel to the stereotypical aggression shown in both the song and a passage in "White Noise".

However I wanted to look at the lines "With all of these men lining up to get neutered. It's hip now to be feminized. I don't highlight my hair I've sitll got a pair yeah honey, I'm still a guy." I think that it is so interesting that Paisley chose to use the word "feminized" to describe men that are getting highlights. The phrase "men lining up to get neutered" is suggesting that today men are loosing their masculinity and not to get highlights and turn to more feminine things. This song over all is suggesting that the gender stereotypes are still alive and should be more enforced.

I think that this relates to the "Newsweek" piece that we saw in class the other day. The objectification of the women in the picture and the sexiness of her pose illustrate that the idea perception of  women is primarily based on sexiness and submissiveness. The  "Newsweek"  piece also shows that gender stereotypes, although subtle, are very much a prominent part of our society and  continue fuel many of the "sexist" trends in America.

Why do you think that these gender stereotypes continue to survive despite the changing times and trends? What do you think will stop these gender stereotypes? 

Don't we all want to be "Oggsford" men?

As I was walking to school one day I saw this "for sale" sign and I noticed something really funny about it. On top of the sign it had "Sears School" tacked on the the top, and I found this particularly interesting because of how education effects property values. It was clearly the largest, most noticeable words and realtors are trying to advertise this house by providing information on the school district that the house belongs to. This shows how education is an identifier of class.

In "The Great Gatsby" by F. Scott Fitzgerald, Gatsby is constantly identified as "an Oxford man" (49) and that shows how people judge people based on the caliber of education they received. Being "an Oxford man" connotes a prestigious, rich, cultured character that coincides with the characters of the elites in the higher classes. Many believe that Gatsby belongs to the elite class simply on the knowledge that he is "an Oxford man"

Similar to the societal norms in "The Great Gatsby", our community works very similarly. We judge and classify people based on what type of education they get and where they received that education.  According to "The New York Times" class is made up of four elements: occupation, education, income, and wealth. This may explain why the school's name was tacked up above the real-estate sign. This respect for education can even be seen in our community where people are judged by the middle schools they attended. This sign represents people adding schooling in as a large deciding factor on real-estate decisions. Although the two really do not relate, the trend of people buying houses because of schools is really taking off because education is now more of an indicator of class and parents want to know their child is getting the best possible education, which will hopefully land them in the higher classes of the American class system.

Do you really think that schools are playing a bigger role in real-estate decisions?

Office Flowers

In Japan, a viable and popular career for women is an "office flower" or "office lady". "Women serve a mere ornamental role in the labor force as "office flowers" (Harvard Women's Law Journal) and have no significant job in the office and are there to brighten the atmosphere, in a sense. These women take these jobs as "office flowers" and work until they marry and then they would settle down and raise thier family. 

I found this really interesting because not only does it set gender roles but it is also implies a male superiority that we as Americans are thought to have been destroyed in America. It also draws jarring parallels to the way the American office dynamic works. In one of the arguably greatest American novels "The Great Gatsby" there is repeated images connecting women with flowers and brightness or gold, like in the following quote: 

"Her face was sad and lovely with bright things in it, bright eyes and a bright passionate mouth" (9)

In this quote the narrator, Nick Carraway,  says that her (Daisy Buchanan) is filled with "bright things", he doesn't attribute any deeper qualities to her character other than being "bright". According to the College Times "Four in ten businesses worldwide have no women in senior management" and in America, "Women earn less than men in 99% of all occupations". We believe that in America women have equal treatment and rights however statistically that is not true. We look at the Japanese "office flowers" and we are appalled but isn't that similar to the career paths most women in America have? 

How do you this the American office dynamic is different? Do you think the majority of women in America follow the same career path as the "office flowers"?

"White Noise" and Undocumented Workers

In class we recently wrapped up a book titled "White Noise" written by Don DeLillo. I've also been working on my junior theme which is about why American agriculture is so reliant on undocumented workers. After drowning in research and writing I began to see similarities between Babette, the main character's wife, and the current situation in America.

In "White Noise", Babette struggles with regimenting her own life style and she would constantly buy healthy foods and then through them out because she didn't want to eat them. Babette brings healthy foods into her home because she feels that she needs them. But then when there becomes an excess of these healthy foods she feels she no longer needs them and tries to get rid of them all but then realizes she still wants the healthy foods and repeats the cycle again.

This cycle of Babette is similar to America's attitude toward undocumented workers. In the 1940's America created the Bracero Program which encouraged Mexican workers to work for American employers. However the program ended in 1964 because of the "excess" of illegal immigrants. (PBS) America has welcomed and shut out immigrants in cycles and today we are shutting out immigrants. However Americans are discovering that we are dependent on illegal immigrants and shutting them out would cripple our agriculture industry, much like how Babette completely shutting out the healthy foods would cripple her self confidence.

Both America and Babette are not coming to terms with the realities of what they can achieve at the moment. Babette is not accepting that she does not incorporate healthy foodss. America is not accepting that it's domestic food production is reliant on undocumented workers.

Happy Farms?

In recent years the movie "Food Inc." exposed where much of American meat came from. It showed the public where our chicken, beef, and pork came from and it was appalling. The sunny idea of "farm raised" animals was shattered by the cold, hard facts presented in "Food Inc.". The free range chicken and the farm raised beef that we buy in the supermarket often did not live the same life that the "free range" and "farm raised" animals we picture.

Our perception on where our meat comes from was just as distorted as our perception on where our fruits and vegetables come from. American growers are now "painfully aware that there are not enough U.S. born citizens and legal immigrants to do all the labor intensive work they require" (Wall Street Journal) and this is the reason for the 60 to 70 percent of illegal immigrants supporting our agriculture industry. A shocking percentage, given the public support for crack down on illegal immigrants.

Most people do not know where their produce comes from and in my opinion it is because of story book that later turn into interactive games such as "Farmville" and "Happy Farm". Both games paint a picture of a happy farm with happy animals and in both games there are no workers featured harvesting fields. I find the fact the people still want to believe America is made up of millions of little farmers with little farms that safely and humanely supply our meat and produce so interesting. It is not true yet people still want to believe that games like this and labels that say "farm raised" or "free range" are an indication of our farming industry.

Why do you think people feel more comfortable believing that our farming industry looks like "Farmville" or "Happy Farm"? 

"We can do it!" vs. Bracero Program

The very popular propaganda poster
used during WWII to encourage women
to join the workforce.

I recently selected my topic for a Junior Theme, a research project addressing current social issues within American society. I chose to research on illegal immigration and how it affects the American agricultural industry. My research was based off of the book, "Inside the State: The Bracero Program, Immigration, and the I.N.S. (After the Law)" by Kitty Calavita. This book explored interesting theories on why the use of Mexican illegal immigrants in the food industry began. 

“The following year, with the attack on Pearl Harbor and the entry of the United States into World War II, the official attitude towards Mexican contract labor changed abruptly” (19)

One of these theories that Calavita provided was that Bracero Program, an agricultural guest worker program for Mexican citizens, was created to fill the labor gap that was left from WWII. I found this very interesting and it reminded me of the Geraldine Doyle "We can do it!" posters. It was interesting that both events helped fill the labor gap and that both events drastically changed the face of the American work force, however only one is heavily publicized and taught in schools.

Before beginning this research project I didn't have the slightest the idea about what the Bracero Program was and I barely knew anything about the ongoing illegal immigration debate in our country. I knew plenty about the women that filled the labor gap during WWII. The information that the textbook and our society likes to include says a lot about our ideas about different topics. For example, by barely acknowledging the role Mexican immigration has had on our food industry we are trying to hide that ugly picture and still credit American farmers for work that is mainly done by Mexican immigrants. It is rather ironic that many Americans feel so opposed to illegal immigrants and Mexican immigration as a whole when most do not know of the impact that they have on our food industry and our everyday lives. 

Why do you think that the topic of Mexican immigration and the Bracero Program is so rarely taught or talked about in schools?

Today's Society Pill Poppin'

Medicine is the quick fix to the slightest hint of pain. Medicine is a manufactured, artificial pill designed in a lab to sooth our symptoms. More interestingly "shaman", the native American term for "medicine man", derived from the word "medicine" implying "magical influence" (Online Etymology Dictionary). I found this incredibly intriguing because of the way medicine is used in millions of households today.

So many people rely on medicine as a quick fix and don't realize all the complications and the harm that it can cause. Medicine is just seen as something that suppresses the pain. In the book that we are reading in American Studies, "White Noise" by Don DeLillo, there is a quote that really relates to this.

"They isolated the fear-of-death part of the brain. Dylar speeds relief to that sector." (190)


In the book there is this drug called Dylar that is supposed to suppress the fear of death from a person. DeLillo is satirizing our society's dependency on medicine and how medicine cannot fix everything, especially not the age-old fear of death. This also relates to a blog that I recently read by a classmate of mine, Layne E, who commented on the over medication that is going on in today's world. The over medication of today's world is causing people to be much more dependent on medication and leads other more serious medical problems.

What do you think about the uses of medication in today's society? Do you think that advances in medicine are truly aiding our society or causing more problems for it?

Women getting their fair share?

SOURCE

After reading Mr. O'Connor's blog on our class's blog it got me thinking about how often I see women being the main focus of TV shows. Although we are talking about TV tokenism and how it relates to racist stereotypes, I wanted to take a second to talk about the TV tokenism and how it relates to women. Too often are women shown as sidekicks or assistants to more dominant male characters. While watching some TV tonight I saw an add for a show called "Unforgettable" starring Poppy Montgomery, a red headed woman who plays Carrie Wells a strong and valuable leader of a police force.

Even though a red headed lead character isn't an example of TV tokenism the fact that Wells is the main focus of the show is a phenomenal leap for women in the entertainment business. In the show she has a flawless memory which makes her fantastic at her job and gives her almost super human qualities. This show is empowering women in a way that they aren't typically portrayed and that is showing some significant leaps for women.

Unfortunately, this is an exception in the current pattern of women portraying the roles of sidekicks or minor characters. In today's shows many women are only filler characters in love triangles or romantic plots and they do not have an equal recognition or depth that the male characters have. Although women have gone from being housewives to policewomen, there is still much more ground to be covered.

What do you think or the progression of women in the entertainment business? Do you feel that women already have an equal opportunity in the business?

TV Tokenism: Criminal Minds

SOURCE

Criminal minds is a popular network drama and this cast photo refutes Mr. Bolos's thesis because although Derek Morgan is the only minority character he is featured in the center of the shot and is shown as larger than most other characters. This indicates that he is a main character and of some importance to the show.

.

"Profiler Profiled" Season 2 Episode 12 - This episode was early in the show's life and it was part of a series of episodes that developed Morgan's character and explored his past. This shows that he is not just a token minority character but that his character has depth and is important to the show if they are going to spend multiple episodes developing that character so early in the show's lifetime. Also note that he is not wearing a suit nor is he used as a "side kick" to reign in any of the other characters. This clip shows that he has a wide range of emotions and also illustrates the conflicts in his life as well as his elaborate personality. Therefore Derek Morgan in Criminal Minds refutes Mr. Bolos's thesis.

Agricultural dependency on illegal immigrants

Sign warning illegal immigrants

                While looking up the term “illegal immigrant” in the etymology dictionary I found the term “wet back”, which has come to be another term for illegal immigrants. It refers to illegal immigrants swimming past the Rio Grande to get to America. The term “wet back” was so incredibly racist and rude that it reminded me of discrimination and racism or African-Americans, which we are studying in my American Studies class.

                So I was looking up the term “illegal immigrant” in the etymology dictionary because I was reading “Help Wanted” an article by David Eddy, which I read in American Fruit Grower, a produce magazine that my parents left on the table. The article made the argument that the government’s crack down on illegal immigrants is hurting the produce industry and thus hurting America’s ability to produce its own food. The article also touched on the injustice of the laws preventing the hiring of illegal immigrants as well as expelled rumors surrounding illegal immigrants. For example, many believe that immigrants do not pay taxes, but they do pay taxes and social security under a false name. However most return to Mexico and do not retire in America and therefore do not collect social security. Another rumor is that they are taking jobs away from America who is sufferings an enormous unemployment rate, however most jobs in the agriculture industry have gone unfilled after these laws were enacted. These were the defenses used by the politicians to rally support for these laws, which created a racist sentiments and stereotypes against Mexicans.

Migration patterns of illegal immigrants similar to the migration
patterns of African-Americans in the early 1900's

                “’One day we will look back on this and say this is almost as bad as the Jim Crow laws,’” said Gary Paulk a blackberry farm owner who is suffering from the loss of workers, quoted by Eddy. Similar to the Jim Crow laws these state laws are preventing Mexican workers from bringing home money to thier families as well as preventing American farmers from producing food for their nation. Paulk is saying that the state governments are creating these laws out of racism, because in reality implementing guest worker programs would be more beneficial and wouldn’t make cause the decline that is being seen in the agriculture industry. The government is spending money to crack down on illegal immigration while it fuels America's agricultural industry which is now crumbling because of the loss of labor. 

What do you think should be done about illegal immigration?

Racism all gone?

From the AS Field Trip in the fall

The first use of the word "gentrification" and phrase "white flight" was in 1964 and 1967, respectively.  These dates are around the times of the Civil Rights Movement and can hinting at the movements strides towards equal hosing opportunities.




Today, in the Chicago land area, neighborhoods can be categorized by race which is often a result of socioeconomic standings. A quote from the excerpt of  "The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness" by Michelle Alexander says "A new race-neutral language was developed for appealing to old racist sentiments, a language accompanied by a political movement that succeeded in putting the vast majority of black back in their place" (Alexander, 40). The phrase "back in their place" suggests a predetermined place for African-American people in the minds of the majority of the population. Whether this thought is a thought that is subconscious or one that is apparent to the thinker is unknown but racist sentiments are apparent in virtually all areas of society.

Part of 14th Place

This is interesting because earlier in the year my American Studies class took a field trip and looked at different neighborhoods in Chicago, which is when I first learned the terms "gentrification" and "white flight". And as I was doing some living this weekend I saw its applications. In many torn down neighborhoods, such as the area around West 14th pl., I saw signs advertising the fact that new buildings were going up and more condos and single family homes were being built. The neighborhood had vacant lots and poor infrastructure but it looked as if it were improving because of the new buildings and families that were moving in. This was a real life example of gentrification to me.

A changing 14th Place

However, on the flip side, I also saw neighborhoods, such as Edgewater, which my mom claimed was an upscale neighborhood back in the day. It had theaters with boarded windows and beautifully crafted buildings that had been closed down as well as many closed small businesses with gates over the windows. This was a real life example of white flight to me.

The sounds of the phrase "white flight" even creates a racial system that puts whites on top. I think that Michelle Alexander's message of an ever present racist sentiment is very apparent in the neighborhoods of Chicago, which suggests that the African-Americans have "their place" in the city which is far from the suburbs of Chicago. Although most of us would like to believe that racism has been defeated on literally all fronts and that it only exists in the minds of racists, there is evidence of segregation and racism in virtually all areas of our society.

What are some other areas where racism can be seen?

Shirt

The shirt I researched.

A shirt is a garment that every single person in America has worn at some point in his/her life. But how often do we stop to think about our shirt? Where it came from? Who made it? When it was made? Under what conditions was it made? But over the weekend while I was doing some living I was forced to think about that for an assignment in American Studies. 

It turns out my shirt was manufactured in Dhaka, Bangladesh in a factory called "That's It". The working conditions are poor and the hours are unreasonably long.This factory has had 200 fires that have killed 600 women in the last six years. The doors were locked, similar to the Triangle Factory fire and  (Source : The Dartmouth) 

I couldn't believe I was so unaware of the sweatshop labor that made my shirt. I honestly don't remember ever thinking about where my shirt came from or who made it. I had always just assumed that it was done humanely in some sort of safe environment. 

That is the problem. We have fixed what we can see. A result of the highly publicized Triangle Factory fire was legislation crafted by President Franklin Roosevelt's Secretary of Labor, Frances Perkins. Perkins created the Fair Labor Standards Act in 1938 which protects American workers therefore the working conditions in America are all safe and humane. (Source: The Dartmouth)

But simply because we cannot see the cruelties overseas does not mean that we should be ignorant and let them slide. It is our duty as fellow human beings to ensure that we are all treated humanely so we should not turn a blind eye simply because it will be easier. This happens a lot in our society but seriously once you are aware of a problem you should fix it not let it continue because you are not directly related to the problem. 

What are some other problems that you think have slid by?

Exponential Growth

An average woman and a model entwined,
 displaying the gaps between models and
average women.

The word "growth" is made of two parts, "grow" and "th". The word "grow" comes from the Old English word "growan" and although it was most commonly used to describe plants it means to: "to grow, flourish, increase, develop, get bigger".


Living things grow and get bigger, and naturally human beings grow and get bigger. But according to a video I watched on ABC News, many of today's models are preventing their growth in order to stay thinner and smaller. What is more puzzling to me, is that a model is supposed to be a representation of an average woman however the average model weighs about 23% less than the average woman does. What is even more stunning is that this gap was at 8% about twenty years ago and it has been steadily increasing since and does not show signs of slowing.

This got me to thinking about my American Studies class and our discussion on the "American Dream" which most of my peers had defined as: being more successful than your parents. So growing and becoming more successful is the way to achieve the "American Dream". But then I asked myself: Is every American family line expected to exponentially grow? Ideally this makes no sense but yes, Americans would like to believe that every generation will be better than the next and the monetary growth will never stop.

This idea of exponentially growing is applied all the time among out society, it can be seen in schools, sports and especially modeling. People are always wanting to be smarter and achieve new standards, or  faster and break records, or thinner, smaller, and more petite. Companies are always looking to increase their gains year after year and Americans have the expectation that everything will exponentially grow. It is never "ok" to fail, or not continue to grow, that is frowned upon and that is why so much pressure is developed within our schools, businesses, and society. Americans are always looking to further themselves and not doing so is judged with laziness or inability. But nothing can grow exponentially and we should not be expected to further such growth.

Why do you think there is so much pressure on becoming better?

The META-Post: Back to the Beginning

Meta-, it comes from the Greek preposition or prefix "μετά" (meta-) meaning "in the midst of, in common with, by means of, in pursuit or quest of". Today it is defined as"occurring later than or in succession to" or "later or more highly organized or specialized form of". Therefore this post is a post that is a later thought about posting, more specifically the evolution in my blogging. It is a post about the way I have changed as a blogger, which is another definition of meta-, like in metamorphosis. 


My blogging life began with a post about a connection I noticed about an amusement park being named Six Flags Great America and patriotism. Although it had little to do with significant happenings in America and I may have read a little too into it, it was very relate-able and understandable. This theme continues in many of my other blogs. While many of my blogs relate to my own life or the lives of fellow students pretty well they seem to have little connection to significant events in American history. One of the best examples of this would be a post entitled "Enjoy it While it Lasts", it begins with a poem I wrote about myself and then it goes on to talk about "a mantra that parents have often drilled into the children of America". The post is very relate-able but it lacks significant connection to a greater event.


Then, little by little my posts begin to include some sort of statistic or video. Unfortunately though, while these statistics and videos are related to some sort of happening or trend in America they are not related to anything specifically significant. However the real problem is that sometimes these videos or statistics are not different enough from the point I try to make that it doesn't make any sort of legitimate connection. 


Since the posts that were related to something other than my own life were sparing the change in my blogging nature is very evident. Beginning with the post titled "An American Snowball", my blogging began to address more specific happenings in America and relate those stories to my own life. The change was due to a conference with my teacher, Mr. Bolos, in which he told me about needing to relate my personal life to larger happenings in American history.For example in "An American Snowball", I related Herman Cain's errors to the fundamental attribution error that most Americans have and the difficulty of accepting responsibility for one's actions.  These blogs are stronger because of the connection they make between the life of an average American to a event or news story.

Ever since I made a change in my style of blogging, the blogs have been stronger but some of them still went back to the old ways, like a blog I wrote titled, "Sheep". But, "Sheep" was another milestone in my blogging because of my decision to add questions to the end of my blog in attempts to encourage discussion, another suggestion made by Mr. Bolos. Unfortunately I never really mastered the concept of an open ended question at the end of my blog until my very last post, but with the help of my teacher Mr. O'Connor. However, for the most part the blogs have been getting better and I honestly feel like they will continue to get better. I think this because of the last blog I wrote titled "Freedom vs. Liberty", which is the strongest of the blogs that I have done this semester. It is the strongest blog because of its analysis of the words freedom and liberty, the connection it makes to class room terminology, the connection it makes to the immigration in America, and the open ended question which allows for further discussion.

In the beginning my blogs struggled to be interesting and connected to American history or happenings however with guidance from my teachers and a different understanding of what blogging really was my posts have gotten better. They aren't superb but now the meet expectations. For a superb blog I think I really must  be interested in the topic, as I was while writing "Freedom vs. Liberty", and I must remember that blogging is taking something that interests me and relate it to an American theme and my own life in a unique and interesting way. For the future I think I need to work on finding a way to uniquely connect things and to find topics that I am actually interested in.

Freedom Vs. Liberty

Today in class we were looking at a poem by Robert Hayden called "Fredrick Douglass". The first line of this poem is:

"When it is finally ours, this freedom, this liberty, this beautiful "

After reading this line our class got into a discussion about the difference between freedom and liberty. The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines freedom and liberty as "the quality or state of being free". However in class I realized that even though they are synonyms they are really different. In my opinion it is very similar to the "big 'T' Truth" and "little 't' truth" that we often talk about in American Studies. We defined Truth as the objective, verifiable, scientific truth and truth as the emotional, or spiritual truth.

To me freedom is the objective, verifiable, and scientific aspect of being free. For example to be physically released from jail is freedom, or a piece of legislation that frees enslaved people is freedom not liberty. Freedom comes from the word free and the suffix -dom, free meaning what it does and "-dom" meaning "state or fact of being", means that freedom is being free in a physical way or being free by a fact. 

On the other hand, liberty is the freedom of mind and being able to feel, think, and speak freely. It is not the ability to do so granted by legislation or a superior power. It is the ability to feel, think, and speak freely, because your mind or spirit is free. Liberty is to be mentally free and to be able to control yourself and whatever you do. Liberty comes from the Latin word "libertatem" meaning "condition of a freeman". Liberty is being free spiritually because a freeman is factually freed already (freedom) and once that freeman can emotionally feel free then he is liberated. 
Also I believe liberty is being spiritually free because the Statue of Liberty is a symbol of the spiritual freedom that America offers for immigrants from all over the world. Most of these immigrants were factually free and not enslaved by any sort of legislation in their homelands. However they came to America to experience liberty, the ability to be spiritually free. They wanted to feel free, not just to be factually free. 

Which of these is more important to you? 
Freedom or Liberty