Holocaust in the United States?

    Whether an event like the Holocaust could happen is the United States is undecidable. The way our government is run makes it almost impossible for it to happen. We have armies that fight against what is wrong and many organization about how the right things should be done. Then, there are the types of people in our society that could make us believe it could happen. The things they believe and think is right could fall in line with the same type of ideas that Hitler had that led to the Holocaust. The fact that these people have others that believe the same thing they do and are willing to support them bring the numbers up. Both examples are things to consider. I believe that the first example is why it could never happen here in the United States.
    My personal opinion is that it could never happen to a country as diverse as the United States. Our different backgrounds and beliefs make it impossible for me to believe. I think the way our society is evolving is what helps that. These days, kids in our generation choose to believe what they want to believe. Just because a parent says sex before marriage is wrong and disgraceful doesn't mean that the teen won't do it. Most usually end up doing it. So that is why I think because some adults have a problem with a certain ethnicity or religion doesn't mean that their children or grand children will. I think that the generation of kids we have today could possibly change the course of events that might or might not come.

Illustrating "Night"

    My word mosaic is a description of the character Elie in "Night". The words in the mosaic are describing his personality in my opinion and the title. I used the word night because it is the title and that is when most events of the book take place. The word protector is for Elie because throughout the whole book he is protecting his father when he is too weak to do it himself. I put strong because Elie is strong for not giving up on his father and not losing his sense of compassion in the concentration camps. Willing is for his whole attitude towards the situation. I chose the moon because it comes out at night and that is the title of the book.

Comment for Jennifer Reliford:
I like the shape you chose. The words you put inside of it really are what Elie was and was felling. Good job.

Classmate Blog Comments

Jennifer Ruliford:
Your genocide topic must have been very brutal because all I see is many, many bones.

Kaitlyn Stearns:

I had the same picture of Christopher Columbus. He was an important subject in this genocide. I knew about Andrew Jackson but I didn't provide a picture. The way you provided route maps also gave me a sense of how hard their travel must have been.

 

Joseph Stanford:

Your pictures helped me to understand your genocide more. I have never heard of the Darfur genocide so it would be nice if you went into more detail about you pictures. That would really help me understand more.

Illistration Genocide

This picture represents they way the English would try to drive away the Native Americans out of their land.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Indian_Wars

 

 

 Christopher Columbus was the first person to make slavery and extermination policies of the Native Americans.











 

http://www.biography.com/people/christopher-columbus-9254209

This was when Columbus first "discovered" the America which he soon found out was already inhabited.









http://www.flmnh.ufl.edu/caribarch/columbus.htm

This is when the Native Americans were enslaved and some were shipped to Spain.








http://annoyzview.wordpress.com/2012/03/21/the-inhumane-side-to-christopher-columbus/

The Indians were treated poorly and had to beg for the food and water that was stolen from them.














http://ed101.bu.edu/StudentDoc/current/ED101fa11/jabbot/jabbot/native-americans3.html

One way of torture that Columbus and his men used was letting their dogs eat the slaves alive.















http://www.real-dream-catchers.com/Native_American_Holocaust/christopher_columbus_and_the_indians.htm

This the work the Indian slaves would have to do for the English settlers' own benefit.












http://www.trendgorilla.com/trend/179430/christopher-columbus

This is when Columbus realized that he had not discovered new land, but land that was already owned.









http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/9110838/Stone-age-Europeans-were-the-first-to-set-foot-on-North-America.html

This is when they were relocating the Native Americans that agreed to go to new land. This was during the cold winter so many did not make it there.








http://wthrockmorton.com/2011/03/01/the-trail-of-tears-remembered/

This is the Indians trying to fight back against the settlers that wanted to take their land from them.








http://talesofcuriosity.com/v/AmericanRevolution/


Current Events: Genocide

http://articles.cnn.com/2011-05-24/world/rwanda.genocide.deposition_1_rwandan-genocide-felicien-kabuga-genocide-and-crimes?_s=PM:WORLD

    The genocide case I read about was Rwanda. A first I was confused on why they would just kill 800,000 people. Then, I read that their president's plane was shot out of the sky. This case was all just about violence. Their president was killed due to violence, then they responded with the same thing. They earned nothing by murdering, exterminating, and raping. You can't fight fire with fire. That's is the problem with some countries including our own. They think fighting and killing will give them some sense of power or revenge. Then, it ends up back-firing.

Introduction to Night

    When we took the Holocaust pre-test on Wednesday and watched the movie on Thursday it was just a memory refresher. When I was in the eighth grade we read the book Night by Elie Wiesel and watched the movie of him going back to Auschwitz. We even had a Holocaust survivor come to our school to talk to us. The pre-test just helped me remember everything I learned back then. I learned when American soldiers came to the concentration camps they did not find people they found either walking or dead skeletons that looked like people. Watching the movie that showed the actual pictures gave me a real-life image of those descriptions. Some of the pictures were very hard to look at. I just kept thinking to myself how could anybody stand to look at these images. The Nazi soldiers that worked at these camps and had to look at these people every day. The sight of these poor people just saddened me and they looked exactly like how they were described. What also got to me was the burning of innocent babies and children. How could those soldiers who might have had families even do this?
    I am actually looking foward to reading Night again. I love the way he went into detail about his expiriences. That was very brave of him to do so. It was really sad when he talked about losing his father. That was literally the only person he had left. He explains everything he saw and his entire journey. Night is a book I would definately read again.

Introductory Post

    The type of reader I am is, the only way I will read a book is either the cover of my book catches my attention, I've heard of this book and someone said it was really good, or it was assigned for me to read. I'm not the type of person to just read a book for fun unless I really like it. The type of books I really like to read are usually categorized as teen novels. Basically known as fiction. Books that are mysteries, romance, fantasy, action, or is well spoken of are books that I like. If the book starts off good and has a whole series to it then I will read the whole series because I want to know what happens. One of my favorite book series is The Clique series by Lisi Harrison. I first read the starting book in the eighth grade and whenever I have time I keep reading the series. My least favorite kind of book would be non fiction books. They just don't keep my attention.
    A book I'm reading now is Miss Peregrine's Home For Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs. This is one of the mystery novels that I really started to like right when I started it. The main character, Jacob, has just lost a very important family member. He and his grandfather, Abe, were always very close until one day he got a disturbing call from him and became very worried. Not long after he had found him in the woods and possibly the "thing" that may have harmed him. Before Abe had died he left Jacob with a message that extremely puzzled him and sends him on a journey. He travels to the island were his grandfather grew up and strange events start to happen. It is then, that the stories is grandfather use to tell start to become true. Jacob then starts to come closer to the truth about his grandfather and his past. Some things I find interesting about this book are that there are actual pictures in it. It kind of gives you a visual advantage to what the characters and the scenery actually look like. Another thing I like about this book is the story line. I like how it started and I never really know what is going to happen next or even a hint of how it will end. I also like how the more Jacob starts to figure out, the more independent he become. He starts to stick up and speak for himself whenever his parent make him feel a certain way.

Table of Contents

Mrs. Hayes' Forth Quarter English Blogs

Poetry Book

Letter to Readers....................................1
Angel.....................................................2
A Place Like California............................3
I Tried.....................................................4
A Little Visitor.........................................5
By Stander..............................................6
 Different People, Same Love..................7
The Violinist............................................8
The Feeling of A Monday.........................9

Letter to Readers

Readers,
    My name is Chardonnay Bennett of Mrs. Hayes' English I class. I'm a freshman in high school. This freshman year is almost over and then I'll be a sophomore. English isn't my best subject, but math definitely is.I'm not too fond of poetry. I've never really understood it. I don't really care for it. It is easy to write though. Whether it rhymes or not.
    My favorite poem I wrote was Angel. It was dedicated to my mother. She pasted away in 2011 when I was in the eighth grade. This poem means a lot to me because in my eyes she was an angel. She did Foster Care for kids that needed temporary homes. She opened her home, gave them food and shelter, and bought them clothes. All while still taking care of my older sister and I. She worked hard. Eventually all that hard work took a toll on her. She unfortunately suffered from a stroke. While in the hospital she started having kidney failure. Then, she pasted away in her sleep. She is in heaven now. That is why I based my "A Life Lived" poem on my mother, JoAnn Love.
    My least favorite poem is A Little Visitor. It is my least favorite because I absolutely hate rats and mice. The tails creep me out and the beady little eyes are just gross. Rats and mice are just gross in general. I have a pet hamster and I love her. I know they're both rodents but my hamster, Speedy, is different. I see her as a pet not a rodent. She doesn't have a tail and she is a cute tan and white color, instead of brown or black. I think she is the cutest thing ever. I will love her forever but forever hate rats and mice.
    Even though poetry is difficult for me, I have learned that it actually isn't that hard. It doesn't have to rhyme and it have to necessarily be straight forward. It can be a story with just a different way of telling it.
    This year, I have learned that I am actually pretty good at poetry. Once, I think of a topic it isn't hard to come up with the story. I was never the best a poetry as a kid. Now that I'm in ninth grade I think I writing has improved and that's why poetry is easier for me.

         Sincerely,
               Chardonnay Bennett

Angel

An angel was born
she was sent to help those who couldn't help themselves
give them food, clothes, shelter
and something else they never got
she gave them love.

An angel died
she went back to heaven to be with those others like her
give them company, friendship, laughter
and something they all love to share
they all shared their love.

"A Life Well Lived" Poem

A Place Like California

I've never seen anything like this before
me I'm from Arizona.
Its always so hot there
but I've never experienced this place before.
California is so wonderful
its warm and there's an ocean here.
I've never been to a place like California
i might as well get use to it.
We're visiting California for a few weeks
we're visiting a wonderful place like California.

"Trips" Poem

I Tried

i tried, I really did.
i stayed up all night
well, I tried to at least .
i studied so hard
i tried to do that too.
but, when I woke up this morning
i was asleep at my desk.
i told my parents i would try
and i did.
i told them i would get at least a B
on my math test, i got a D.
well, at least i tried.

"Failing" Poem

A Little Visitor

My mom's in the kitchen cooking
Im upstairs on my bed
I hear her scream so I go downstairs
She standing on the chair looking at the floor
On the floor is a little brown dot
With a tail and a nose
It see's me and runs away to the next room

"Beast" Poem

By Stander

He's tall with brown spiky hair and pretty brown eyes
He dresses nice, red, white, and blue plaid shirt with fitted jeans and nice, clean white shoes
He has lots of friend, they're all standing behind him, too, dressed similar
That was his crew, his "posse"
They're all laughing
He's about the same height as the guy in front of him
He has his back against the wall
Thick black glasses, blond, plain hair, not dressed so well
Plain white shirt, light blue hand-me-down jeans, and beat up grey sneakers
He's scared, they just slapped him, punched him, pushed him to the ground
Why are they doing this?

I don't know.
Why is this good looking guy that looks so nice being so mean?
Why are his friends participating in this?
Where are the teachers when you actually need them?
Why am I just standing here telling you whats happening?
Why don't I do something?
Why doesn't anybody do anything?

"Scenes" Poem

Different People, Same Love

Why can't they accept us?
Don't they say we're all the same?
All the same on the inside.
Outside also?

I have two eyes, you have two eyes
We both use our eyes to see the love
The love we have for each other.
Why can't they use their eyes to see the same?

I have a mouth, you have a mouth
We use our mouths to kiss, to talk
To understand each other.
Why do they bring us down with the words from their mouths?

I have two hands, two legs
You also have two hands, two legs
Take my hand in yours, we can hold hands
We can hold hands and run away from them

We can be together
So what my eyes are brown, and yours are blue
So what my skin is dark and yours is not
We are different, but we share the same love.

"Love" Poem

The Violinist

The light of the stage come on
She walk onto the stage
In that long, flowing dress
She's looking at her violin
She closes her eyes
We wonder why they're closed
Then we find out
She plays her violin
She knows it
She knows the strings
She knows its base
She knows what the handle feels like
She plays her violin
It's like her best friend
They know each other so well
This you can tell all from looking from the crowd
Just like we were looking from the crowd
We feel the emotion
We feel the music
The music she plays to us
The music she summoned tear with
The music ended
The music summoned a standing ovation
How does she play so well
She opened her eyes
She is blind
How does she play so well
When she can't even see
But we can see
We can see the emotion of a friendship
She can see
She knows exactly what it looks like
She knows what her best friend looks like
Of her and her best friend, the Violin

"Musical" Poem

The Feeling of A Monday

Monday, is here

Angry we have to get out of our beds

Even angrier that we, the high school kids, have to wake up when it's still dark

Getting ready to see "them", that we dislike

This day, is Monday

Tuesday, still dark outside

Still tired of having to get get out of bed

Still angry that yesterday was Monday, the day we all hate that always coming

Still seeing "them", keep talking to us, why?

Tuesday, when is Friday?

Wednesday, it seems brighter out

Getting use to the fact that I have to get out of bed

Use to it because I know that in two days its finally going to be Friday again

In two days, no more seeing "them", that we dislike

This day, Wednesday, isn't so bad

Thursday, I don't even look outside

It doesn't matter to me because I know what come next

I know that tomorrow is the day I've been waiting for, Friday is the day I've been waiting for

"They" don't even matter to me at this point

Thank you, Thursday, thank you

Friday, I can't even speak

I'm too happy that today is Friday, finally Friday

So happy that I can stay in bed while its still dark outside, stay in my bed for as long as I want

No more "them", who don't like us either

Friday, weekend, sleep

Monday, it's here again

Not too happy that I have to get up, again

Not too happy that I'm up while its dark outside, again, why  am up? I was just in bed

Oh no, i forgot about "them", again I have to see them

Monday, why do you always come?

To remind me that i feel the same about you every week, is that what you want? then that's what you'll get

"A Day in the Life" Poem

Matched Together, In A Dystopian World

    My dystopian novel is Matched by Ally Condie. This book is the perfect example for a dystopian society. The main character, Cassia Reyes, lives in a place called the Society. It may sound great, but its anything but that. In the Society everyone is the same. They live the same way and follow the same rules. The Society comes with many rules and regulations. The ones that are the worst make this a dystopian society. In this place everything you do is chosen for you the moment you are born. These decisions are made by a group of superiors they call The City Officials or just Officials. They chose who you marry, how many kids you have, what you can and can't do in public, what you learn, what your job will be, and most importantly; what age you die at. Nobody is an indivual in the Society. They tell you who to love and what to do your entire life. Nothing about this life is perfect.

    The satire of this novel is the process of marriage. In real life you're suppose to find someone you love and have a real wedding. All of this happens on your own decisions. In the Society, when you are old enough to make the decision you can choose to be single or matched. Then, when you're seventeen and older you're in the process to be matched. Then, when you are matched, a whole bunch of people are matched at the same time. In real life, you get married and have a whole wedding. In the Society multiple people get matched at the same time. The have this ceremony called a Match Banquet. Multiple girls get their matches at these. Also, you are usually married to someone you've known for a long time. Instead, the Officials match you with a person you have never met all the way across the country or even across the world. The minute you are matched with this person, they have decided that this is who you are going to love for the rest of your life.

    An allusion in this book is in the beginning. It says, "White wings, blue sky, gold circles above their heads,..." (Condie 3). She is making a reference to angels. This allusion is a well known reference to the bible. In the bible there were people that could fly, watch over you. She said she once heard of people that could fly. That was before the Society came. She saw a picture of them. This is where her day dreaming came from. Cassia, on her way to her Match Banquet, is day dreaming. She is day dreaming that she learns to fly. Her wings and not like any other, they're made of green silk. Once she starts flying she doesn't know where to go. That doesn't scare her, she is calm about the fact that she is flying. She breaks out of her daydream and realizes how foolish she is. She knows the story isn't true, since a long time ago the Society had demolished any evidence of religion. Now all that citizens hear of it is a myth.

    There are multiple allegories in this story. One of them is the Match Banquet. This basiclly symbolizes a wedding. It's where you agree to love this person forever. Another, is being matched. This symbolizes being committed. When you meet someone you commit to them. When you get married it is a committment for life. Also, another allegory is the Society. The society is like the president of the United States. Except for this presidency is ran like a dictatorship.

    Have you read Matched by Ally Condie? What did you think of it? If you haven't read it, did this blog make you want to?

   

Do All Bullying Situations Have to End the Same?

    In the movie we watched, it was about a boy who stood up for his rights. His name was Jamie Nabozny. He wasn't afraid to admit his sexuality to others. Before the sixth grade, he had told his family that he was homosexual. During his childhood years no one really knew until an incident happened. He had revealed some very personal things to a boy he liked that thought he felt the same way. Soon the whole school had found out and that was the beginning of his terrible life. Everyday he was bullied by a group of boys. They would say and do inappropriate things to him. It wasn't just bullying about his sexuality, they would beat him whenever they saw him and whenever they got the chance.
    Jamie had lived his life in fear. He finally seeked the help of the principal who wasn't much help at all. This was at his middle school, when the principal told him that she would try to help him. That help didn't come soon or later. Jamie's mom made a meeting with the principal and the bullies with their moms. She told Jamie ,"..if he was going to be so openly gay he would have to deal with it". That literally broke my heart to hear that. He thought he could trust her and she would help him and she was saying this to him. It kept happening all through high school. Jamie ran away a few times but that didn't stop him from getting his justice.
    When Jamie won his case, I was really happy for him. No one should ever suffer this type of abuse no matter what. Whether they're gay or straight, or black or white, it doesn't matter. When I hear about kids that commit suicide because of bullying it really breaks my heart. Nothing should be so sad as to where you would end your life. At the beginning of Bullied they showed a picture of a boy. He was only ten or eleven and he had committed suicide for being bullied because he was "gay". Either way he was really young and that should have never happened. Bullying is something we can prevent. Thats why at the end of the movie when Jamie won his case I was so happy. He chose to fight back instead of just giving up. My heart truly goes out to those who are bullied and those who stand up for themselves.
    What's your personal opinion on bullying? Do you see it happen at your school or somewhere around you? If you could, what would you do to stop it?

Change this, Change that, Can't We Just Stay the Same..Please???

    Tyler has been through a lot of change throughout the book. Physically and most definitely mentally. This is all thanks to the conflict and trouble in his life through the story.

    In the beginning, Tyler has never had good self esteem. To add to that, his father makes it worst. Ever since Tyler got arrested for the graffitti accident, his father has been extra tough on him. He say things like, "Miller men have disipline...". He constantly reminds Tyler of what he's not, rather than what he could be. This just adds to Tyler's...problems. He has already explained that ever since the seventh grade he has been sucidial. Now that he's a senior he has gotten even worse. He calls himself, "worthless.." or "..a waste of human flesh...". This conflict with his father has made his self esteem even worst. Mr. Miller thinks he's making Tyler better with his harsh words. Or is he just making things worst? Is he a terrible father for making his son feel this way? How do you think he would feel if he really knew what was wrong with Tyler? Would it change anything between them?

    Along the way of the story, Tyler starts to get close to his long-time crush, Bethany Milbury. Along in their friendship, Bethany gets drunk at a party and Tyler tries to help her. The next day pictures of Bethany are all over the school. While Tyler tries to make things better, he ends up making things worst...for himself. The police get involved again and the whole school finds out. Everyone thinks he did this to her. Bethany, being popular, has the whole school on her side. Her brother especially. The bullying just gets worst for Tyler. Walking in the hallway has become a dangerous thing for him. He would get punched, kicked, and have things thrown at him. Not only did he ruin his chances with Bethany but the whole school, besides his sister, Hannah, and his bestfriend (also her boyfriend), Calvin, is against him. This is the biggest conflict of the book. Now, this problem has Tyler actually going through with his suicide. He says he can't handle it and that he was just going to do everyone a favor. He was planning out the details like, he didn't want to do it at home, because he didn't want to leave his mom with that image. He didn't want it to be messy, because he didn't want to leave a big mess for anyone to clean up and give them a reason to dislike him even more. At this point he was so sure of it.

    Do you think parents should be more involved with their children and the schools they attend? If Tyler's parents were, do you think Tyler would be considering this? Or will he still have his problems?

There's Change...But...No Change

    Tyler has never really been noticed by anybody. He was always scrawny and had pimples. He decides to get noticed by playing a prank before summer started. One thing led to another and then the police got involved. Then, he ended up spending the whole summer working with the janitors on the school. That summer did pay off though. Tyler grew muscles and got abs. To add to that, all his acne is gone. He's like a new Tyler. He literally went from Nerd Boy to Tyler the Amazing Hulk. It's like now people notice him. Whether it was good or bad, he was still noticed if he liked it or not.

    This tranformation didn't do anything for Tyler though. Ever since the seventh grade, he has always been very depressed. There have been many times when he just thinks about himself being dead. He has even considered suicide multiple times before. He still does for a fact. He never really knew how he would do it but he always knew he would. Towards the end of the book he finally decides how he was going to do it. No matter what Tyler looks like he still feels as though he is "a waste of human flesh".

    Do you think any teenager should ever feel this way towards themselves? If you could, how would you help them? How would you help them not feel this way?

Please Put Some Clothes On..,

    In Twisted, the one day almost all the girls in school show some...skin. The day the boys get to see what they wish they could EVERYDAY. This day at Tyler's school, that even he enjoys, is Clothes Optinal day. The girls here really love to show their school some skin. So much that "you did not have to use your imagination". The boys go nuts, literally. They "walk into walls and open lockers" or spends forever at the water fountain trying to "calm down". What are these girls wearing that send them off the charts. Tyler says its the strapless and the halters. Maybe it could be the low rise and belly shirts. If not that then it has to be the "peek-a-boo cut-out" or the spandex.

    All these different types of revealing clothes are described in the book. The girls that wear these get all the attention. Wait, what if they don't want the attention, which the don't. Why would they wear these clothes if they didn't want all the attention they would soon get? Why would they even participate in this Clothing Optional day? They don't like being harrassed, but they like to wearing the clothes. Which would you choose, the harrassment or the clothes?

    Sexual harrassment can definately go both ways. Sexual harrassment is bothering someone innappropriately that doesn't want to be bothered especially in that way. Most of the time its the boys bothering the girls, but the girls can harrass the boys. Girls can come on way too strong sometimes. In an attempt to get his attention she might go too far and not realize that the boy doesn't want her doing this to him. I've expirenced this before both ways. The boy trying to get the girl's attention and the girl trying to get the boy's attention. People who harrass may not see it the way the person getting harrassed does. They think it's just some harmless flirting, but to the other person, it's not.

    Schools have dress codes for a reason. Not just to please some parents, but to keep the children safe. You never know how far someone might take it. These consequences might not be what you expected. With the appropriate dress code, the girls are kept safe from unwanted attention and the boys...well, they're kept under control. In Twisted, this "Clothes Optional" day shouldn't really be allowed. Maybe the school could try something a little more safe. Something that lets the students mess around with the dress code but not to the extent that they girls have no clothes on.

    How do you feel about about school dress codes? What about sexual harrassmen? Do you think your teenager could harrass or possibly be harrassed at school? If so, what would you do about it?

Have YOU Met Josh?

   Have you met Josh yet? I had the opprotunity to. He's a funny guy who can reach the kids by reason and his sense of humor. On January 11, 2012, Josh came to Carbondale and visited the highschool. He talked to the freshman about a program he calls "Hooked on Facebook". He talks about how we as teenagers, spend too much time on social networks, like Facebook, giving out too much information. You never know who could be watching you and using that information to get to you. They use the information that you think is harmless enough to put on the internet.

    He also addressed the problem with cyber bullies. They are bullies that like to attack people through the internet. What they don't know is that can seriously hurt someone. He also addressed sexting. That is when provokative or inappropriate pictures are sent from one person to another. That is a serious offense. You could get charged for producing child pornography and just for having it in your phone or computer. This should never be done because you never know who could get their hands on that picture. Then, once it gets on the internet it never goes away.

This is Josh Gunderson. Make sure you meet him. He has a website full of his programs, schools he has visited, and comments of students he has helped. You should really check it out. Who knows, maybe you'll meet him next.

http://www.haveyoumetjosh.com/