KONY 2012: Make him famous.

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On March 7th, my English 115 class watched a video titled "Kony 2012" because some of my peers persuaded the teacher telling him that it was worth watching. Kony 2012 is a film created by Invisible Children, Inc. which became a viral video. The purpose is to promote the charity's 'Stop Kony' movement to make indicted Ugandan war criminal Joseph Kony internationally known in order to arrest him in 2012.

Rhetorical strategies that the filmmaker Jason Russell used was comparing his son's innocent viewpoint about this issue, and how the government see this issue as not important affair for the United States. The reason why spreading this video had an important role is because we are making the U.S government to do something about it. As one of the result is the "deploying of 100 American advisors" to help the Ugandan army to arrest Kony. That was the first time when the U.S. took this kind of action because of the people demanding to do something about this issue. 

Manifest Destiny

Here I analyzed how Manifest Destiny contributed on how Mexicans became foreigners in their own land.

Takaki’s seventh chapter “Foreigners in their native land” describes how manifest destiny contributed to Mexicans becoming foreigners in their own land. In this chapter we will see how people’s ideology on expanding territory through the West will face to future conflicts. Takaki states different policies and laws that were outlawed to exemplify concrete situations that literally changed the course U.S expansion through the whole continent.      

Manifest destiny, the belief that U.S. was destined to expand across the continent to just justify the war against Mexico. This contributed on how the American intruders were growing in number and defying Mexican laws. Some Mexican opposition was provoked when the Mexican government prohibited further American immigration into Texas. Mexican elites from the council of San Antonio favored keeping the border open to Americans. American foreigners in Texas were furious. This contributed to the increasing tension and Stephen Austin urged to “Americanize” Texas and to annex the territory. American rebels started an armed insurrection against the Mexican authority until they barricaded themselves in the Alamo where they killed the most of the rebels. This included the conflict between Mexicans. After this incident, Houston surprised Santa Anna’s forces that killed 630 Mexicans and forced Santa Anna to cede Texas. Even though Mexico did not agree to the treaty, Houston still declared Texas an independent republic and subsequently elected its president. Houston stated “their struggle was against Mexican tyranny and for American democracy”. This is an example of how manifest destiny forced U.S to annex Texas to redeem it from the wilderness and to settle it with an intelligent honorable and enterprising people, which Americans and some Mexican elites agreed to “Americanize” Texas.

            U.S annexed the Lone Star Republic in 1845 and Mexico broke off diplomatic relations. U.S. claimed that the southern border of Texas was Rio Grande River, but Mexico insisted that it was 150 miles to the north at Nueces River. President James K. Polk knew that if he started a war, U.S would won it and to claim that the border is at Rio Grande River. That’s the reason why he wanted General Taylor to take his troops into the disputed territory. The geographical conflict, made the Mexican’s the one who started the war because supposedly they were in the American territory where Polk stated “Mexican troops had passed the boundary of the U.S…invaded our territory and shed American blood upon American soil.”

            Takaki’s theme in this chapter is that the belief of “manifest identity” influenced people to expand through the West. This meant that the conflicts will be inevitable. U.S expansion was really an obsession that they will do anything to reach their goals such as the annexation of Texas and California.    


Was "manifest destiny" morally correct? Feel free to comment and what do you think about U.S ideology by the 19th century. 

Rupaul Project

I dedicate this to my Dad who gave me the opportunity to be what I am...

- Thank you for giving me the opportunity to live...
- Thank you for introducing me to play basketball...
- Thank you for teaching me to be respectful...
- Thank you for working hard...
- Thank you for giving me the opportunity to live abroad in Spain...
- Thank you and I am really proud to be your son...

I am not your N********!

1.   On Wednesday, during the first minutes of class, Mr. Aronson  made the class watch a video from youtube called "I am Nobody's N*****. By hearing for the 1st time his speech, I realized how he hates to be called by the N word and how people use this word as a reclaim word. He states "you killed hip-hop" for those rappers who are resurrecting "zombies" by spreading the N word worthlessly instead of stopping racism. As he claimed, he's not a N***** on Paris, London, New York, etc. After his speech, I realized that I should be more aware by using the N word as a reclaim and respecting his thoughts because of his reasons. Such reasons that the N word is what people heard before lynching.  

Essay Feedback

On Wednesday, Professor Aronson from my English class made the first hour of class as a session feedback for our first draft essay, which was titled "Main idea vs. Topic". To make the class more entertaining and interesting, we split up in groups of four or five. Each individual had to read each essay of our group and give them our feedback. Our feedback was divided in two groups: "kisses"(positive aspects) and "wishes"(something that could be improved). My general opinion to this session was really helpful. I rediscovered what to improve based on the feedback that my group gave to me such as adding more details, specifying some ideas, and etc. On the other hand, while I was grading some of the essays, I did not mind to put all the wishes because I knew that this comments would help them positively. I hope we do this type of sessions more often  because it really pushes the students to do better in their essays. For me, this session was really productive and I would feel sad for those who did not enjoyed this get profit of this session. 

Where is the love ?

The song Where Is The Love by the Black Eyed Peas is one of the three songs that I picked for the Main Idea vs Topic Essay. At first sight the song seems to be about the war in the foreign countries such as Afghanistan, Iraq, etc. This is just one of the topics of the song which is telling that U.S is more involve outside other countries than itself. The main idea of the whole song is the fight against racism in the country and the equality for all. Another topic here is that kids are being influenced negatively by getting involved in gangs and these type of situations should be avoided. Another message that this band is giving is that "U.S have to fix the situation" by stating all the negative this that are happening such as materialism, racism, media's negative influence, etc. A strategy that the group is doing this are rhetorical questions and using faith to persuade and influence people where is exemplified in this fragment of the song "Father father father father send some guidance from above 'cause people got me questioning Where is the love?". 

More about me...

               
  On April 2010, Braval after the match we won against St. Miquel (just passed through semi-finals)
                                                     


Hi Bayan,

I am Edel Patrick Cabradilla, I was born in Philippines on May 1st, 1993. I grew up there and just finished 3rd grade until my father (who was working abroad in Barcelona, Spain decided to move the entire family there). I arrived in Barcelona on July 2001. My first class there started on September and by that time I focused on learning Spanish and Catalan (language spoken in Catalunya, Valencia, Andorra, Balear Islands, Zaragoza, etc). Soccer was really popular there, so I played soccer in a team for 3 years. I was also interested Basketball; one day my friend Jeff recommended me to go there and to try out for the team called Barcelona Braval (Braval) and by that day I committed myself to go in every single training and match. Resuming my achievement playing basketball there (won 3 championships, lost in semi-finals and 2 quarter-finals). As a student, I wanted to finish High School there and be majoring in Industrial Engineering in Universidad Politecnica de Barcelona (UPB), but I could not by the fact that I moved into the United States because of my family decisions on October 2010. Before moving to U.S, I was wondering if my hard work in Spain was worthful by the fact that what I learned there will no longer be useful in the U.S. I went to Otay Ranch High School because of my cousin who was studying there. I struggled because of the new language (English), but I worked hard and finally get my High School Diploma. Finally, I went to SWC and this is my 2nd semester where I have my English class, and hoping to improve myself as a critical thinker.