1st Semester Reflection

1. Something I learned this semester is that in histories all over the world, many cultures suffered with being displaced and relocated. The Australian Aborigines were the first to settle in Australia, but they were forced to move out of their lands so that central Australia could become populated by whites. This can be connected to the relocation of Native Americans in America. Another place where this has happened is South Africa. The first tribes of South Africa, such as the Boers, claimed the land to themselves but, European settlers kicked them out and they were forced to move. I really learned how mistreated these native cultures were during this semester.

2. If you asked many freshmen students if they knew what the term genocide meant, I am sure many would reply, no. However, before this semester that would have been my answer as well. This semester taught me that genocide is the mass killings of a certain religion or culture. One example is the Rwandan genocide, in which 800,000 Tutsis were slaughtered by Hutus. The Tutsis and the Hutus are the two main tribes in Rwanda and they were never considered equal. This was considered genocide because it was one culture against another. In the event of a genocide the United Nations has a specific set of procedures that they must take. This includes sending troops in to help the situation and many other relief efforts. However, during the Rwandan Genocide the UN failed to call it a genocide, which caused Rwandans to suffer much more.

3. My skill in writing a thesis statement has greatly improved over the semester. One thing I learned to focus on was keeping it short and simple. In the beginning my problem was including too much information in my thesis, but I gradually improved and began to see the difference in my work.
These are some examples of my thesis';
1. “Sometime in the near future, the United States will be replaced by China as the dominant economic power”
2. “Sometime in the near future, China will replace the United States as the dominant economic power.”

1. Walkabout and Rabbit Proof Fence both show us that no matter how distant you get from your culture, it will always remain ingrained in you.
2. Walkabout and Rabbit Proof Fence can show us that cultures are written in pen, so no matter how hard you try to erase them they will always remain.
-There wasn’t that much of a difference, but the changes really helped my paper and eliminated clutter.


4. When listening to the "Man in the Well", it made me realize that everyone interprets things in a different way. No matter how hard we tried, our whole class just didn't see the man in the well as the same person. For example, I thought the man in the well, was the ex-husband, of the mom who was crying, while someone else in the class pointed out, he could be a circus clown. I think that reading something with a double meaning is very interesting. It gives you the sense that your idea is right, unlike stories that only have one right answer.

5. Reading and reflecting on weekly articles really helped me to stay in touch on current events, and also figure out my opinion on things. When we read the articles on Iran's nuclear weapons and our engagement with them, I realized that my opinion was the U.S. shouldn't worry about whether or not Iran has nuclear weapons. I believed that because it was hypocritical for us, as a country with nukes, to say another country cannot have them. Also, when reading "Deficits and the Chinese Challenge", I realized that in the near future China could possibly replace the U.S. as the dominant economic power. The U.S. just is't striving to be on top anymore and China is fighting harder than ever to be better than us. Before reading these articles, I would hear about important news and not really have an opinion, but writing weakly reflections in this class has really helped me to think about my opinion on certain situations.

A Look Back Into History

When looking back at history, there is a whole lot to learn. What I learned is that the constant struggle for power is what separates us.
Having power has made a very strong impact on this Earth. Whether its segregation of races or tribes, we always feel the need that one group is higher than the other. For example, America is the home of Native Americans. However, the British failed to see that ownership when they rudely, kicked the Natives out of their land. This has not only happened in the United States, but all of the countries we have studied have had some sort of problem with force-moving people.
Another example was the re-location Australian Aborigines. They had the same situation at hand when they settled in Austrailia. The European settlers kicked them out of their land and tried to eliminate their culture, generation by generation. Its hard to see that history has repeated itself so many times, and their could possibly be another culture lost in this world. WIth good hopes, we can plan on learning from history and not let this happen to any other cultures.

The Gift of Receiving

Many people will act fake and say that the best gift you can give, is the gift of giving. I would beg to differ. Don’t get me wrong. I think giving is a great thing to do. I love the feeling when your shopping and you find the perfect gift for someone. Then when they open it the look on their face is unexplainable. They just look as if you spied into their brain and got them exactly what they wanted. However, I would have to say that I love that feeling just as much. Therefore, I think receiving a gift, is a gift in itself. For example, this Christmas I asked my mom for nothing more than a new camera, but the best gift I got was this new white watch that I had seen earlier in the month. It was so special to me that she remembered that I wanted one. When I opened the gift, no words came out. I struggled to find the perfect response, to a perfect gift. All I managed to utter was thank you, but I figured my lack of words got the point through. Another gift that left me speechless were my new glasses. The Monday before Christmas I was at my neighbor’s house. They were leaving for their cruise on Christmas day, so they just got back from a shopping spree. Antonella, the older sister of the family purchased a new pair of these amazing glasses. They were a great shape and not too expensive. I was in love with them and I knew that one day, I would own them. I told my mom to spread the word that I was back in business for babysitting. When she asked why, I told her that I needed to save up and buy those glasses. Days went by, and I started to forget about them. It wasn’t until Christmas morning, when I couldn’t guess the contents of my present. As I opened up the box, I saw a glasses case. Inside were the glasses of my dreams. They were the exact ones from the other day, and the perfect pair to add to my collection. Some women collect shoes or purses, but I would rather own sunglasses. I was in awe and could never thank her enough because her gift was one I would never forget. It really made me appreciate the gift of receiving. I also realized that they gift of giving, and the gift of receiving have the same value, because they both give you a great feeling inside. Whether it’s the feeling of making someone’s day or you just feel special because someone was thinking of you.














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