Using Native Americans as Mascots

I do not think that we should be able to name mascots after Native Americans. I understand that some people think that we are “honoring” the Native Americans by using them as mascots, but I disagree. When we first started using the Native American as mascots we used it as an insult. We were taking the Native Americans and forcing them to live on reservations, then we took their culture and turned it into something we poke fun at. Native Americans were considered violent and threatening to the American society. We were taking certain parts their culture and mocking them, such as their dances, their “red skin”, and their clothes.  I don’t think that we should forget that. We may not be as hostile as we once were towards Native Americans, but it doesn’t mean that we can just try to replace the negativity by claiming that it’s something positive. When we use the Native American as a mascot I believe that we are mocking the proud culture that Native Americans have come from. I agree with the editor who said that we (Americans) wouldn’t use any other race as a mascot because it would be extremely offensive, we would never allow it. This proves the racism we still exhibit for the people of Native American culture. In my opinion a mascot is something that is usually fictional or not animal that we rally behind. When one dresses up as an Indian and parades around an auditorium, it seems to be mocking their culture. I think the Americans view the Native Americans as these people with feathers in their hair, who still live in teepees, dance around screaming and chanting, but really they are just Americans looking for their place in society like everyone else. Singling them out as mascots is not right.

Word Count: 303

A Raisin in the Sun and The Great Gatsby Comparison

The difference in the American Dream portrayed in the Great Gatsby is very different in A Raisin in the Sun due to the difference in economic status and race of the people in the two books. In A Raisin in the Sun the American Dream was more about the struggle to move up in life and obtain a better life for each one of them. They were proud African American people looking for ways to improve their circumstances. The Youngers American dream was more so about finding a way to improve their poverty, and fix their broken dreams. In The Great Gatsby their dream was focused on being happy again. I think that the main characters were so caught up in their wealth that they were blinded by keeping up with the wealth they had obtained that they had nothing to truly enjoy.

In A Raisin in the Sun I think it was harder to achieve their American dream because of the racial issues at that time. As the Youngers were trying to achieve their dreams by moving into an actual house, which for them symbolized a new life full of hope and opportunity, the people of the community they lived in did not want them to live their because they were black. They were facing open threats that almost prevented them from leaving their cramped apartment. I feel that the poverty and lack of education everyone had (except for Beneatha) also made it more difficult to achieve the American dream than it was for the characters of the Great Gatsby. In A Raisin in the Sun it was the people who they were living with did not have high dreams or ambitions because they thought that their poverty prevented them from having anything more than what they already had. Walter did not think that he could do much more in life because he was just an uneducated, poor, black man.

In the Great Gatsby the American Dream was focused on obtaining happiness. All of the characters had wealth (except for Nick) and he was clearly the happiest person there. Daisy, for instance, thought that wealth was the most important thing. Love was second to being not just financially stable, but extremely wealthy. However in the end the wealth that she was able to achieve did not make her happy. Gatsby was also a perfect example of someone who was wealthy but did not achieve the American dream. Gatsby was the wealthiest man in the West Egg. But, he was not happy because he did not have Daisy. The other characters seemed to think that wealth was everything too, but you could tell that none of them were truly happy. They were bored with their lives.

In both books I did notice that the characters shared one similarity. In both books the characters had strong determination to reach their American dream. Their perseverance was extraordinary. Gatsby dies in his struggle to find happiness. The Youngers are willing to move into a tough situation in order to achieve a better life and fulfill their American dream.

Word Count: 515

Community Inquiry project reflection

Through the Community Inquiry project I learned some interesting things about my neighborhood. This project has enabled me to learn more about some of my community members on a more personal level. I was also aware of the demographics of my neighborhood after this project. Finally, I learned that there are many different versions of the American dream, depending on who you ask. I learned that although many people have similar American dreams, everyone has a different story, which makes something in their American dream a little bit different from the other.

The end results of my project were definitely different from my blog post proposal results. I thought that there would be no room for doubt that the American dream was present in Beverly. While, that is partially true, I can say that the American dream here is not prevalent in the independent business aspect. In Beverly the majority of our small businesses have closed, and people are afraid to open new ones up. We do not support the small business well, so they end up failing.

I was challenged by this assignment because I have a hard time interviewing people. I do not like to sit down and ask people questions, and so this was a hard thing for me to do. I was also challenged by thinking of ways to have my pictures tell the correct story on the power point.

Project proposal

Beverly

Demographics:

Economic
Average Household income: $66,993
Median household income:   $62,078

Racial
Caucasian: 64.81%
African American: 32.42%
Asian: 0.56%
American Indian: 0.11%
Native Hawaiian: 0.15%
Mixed Race: 1.30%
Other Race: 0.65%

I am going to interview my mother, my neighbor, and a member of my church

The parts of the American Dream I think are present in my neighborhood are making sure the children are successful in their endeavors, providing a strong family foundation base, community support is also represented in our neighborhood, education, and finally I expect to find the value of teaching their children the values of hard work and helping the less fortunate through volunteer work.

Success of Immigrants’ Children Measured

Success of Immigrants’ Children Measured is about a study the Pew Research Center has conducted about the success of a child born to immigrant parents in the United States. The study proved that most immigrant children were successful and were even doing better than many children with a long line of American descendants. This article expresses the reason so many immigrants have come to America, for a better opportunity for their children. Many immigrants come here each year to benefit their children’s lives. Through their hard work the children learn that if they work hard they have the opportunity to be able to do whatever they want. Opportunity and success are the dreams that all Americans have the desire to achieve. It matters not whether you are an immigrant, a first generation American, or an American who has had many descendants living here. Success is something every American wants to achieve because it is associated with happiness and comfort. There is nothing negative that comes to mind when you hear the word success.  This article perfectly illustrates the reasons immigrants come to America, because they reap the benefits when they see their children obtaining the success every American wishes to obtain.

word count: 201

My Favorite Villain

SALIM: Slumdog Millionaire

Slumdog Millionaire was truly a brilliant movie. This dynamic film told a gripping tale about how a boy’s experiences from growing up in the slums of India helped him achieve success on the Indian version of the TV show “Who Wants to be a Millionaire.”  In Slumdog Millionare, I would consider the main character’s brother, Salim, to be the villain in the movie. In the beginning years of Jamal (the main character) and Salim’s life, Salim was always a bit of a trouble maker. He did things such as locking Jamal in a bathroom stall while his idol was visiting their slum, and selling Jamal’s prized possession for a few coins. These things were all harmless for the most part, but it was not until their mother died that you did see the true evil in Salim. After an attack on the boys’ slum, Jamal and Salim were orphans - left to fend on their own. Latika, another child that became an orphan due to the attack, began to follow them. Jamal always showed compassion on Latika, but Salim never did. Salim left Latika out in the rain to freeze to death directly after they escaped the attack. Later on in the story, Jamal and Latika were developing a strong friendship, and I think that Salim felt a bit envious of that. Salim, was the oldest and so he was responsible for taking care of himself and Jamal. I believe that he just viewed Latika as another mouth to provide for, which is why he was always evil to her. I related to Salim a little bit because I think that when you are living in such rough conditions all you are thinking about is surviving, and it’s even harder when you don’t have a friend to make things easier.  Salim is even better in my book, when in the end he realizes that he has done a lot of wrong, and he protects Latika and Jamal, which claims his own life. I think that this showed his true character.

Word Count: 340