Thesis and Three Bodies

Q always often misunderstands (and is misunderstood by) others.

He often jumps to conclusions and makes false inferences that cause many of his discomforts.  After Q introduces Lll to his great grandfather Nb’a Ng’a, he thinks she doesn't like him, and when she asks about him, Q thinks:

“I suspected she was remaining silent in order to embarrass me later in some spectacular way, in front of her family, or else-and, for me, this was an even worse hypothesis- she was making an effort to talk about other things only because hes felt sorry for me... ‘Are you joking?’”(77)

Q is very self conscious and thinks that Lll may try to embarrass him.  This shows a lot about him because he does nothing to stop it, and  he thinks that maybe he deserved the embarrassment. Also, although Q assumes Lll might be “sorry for” him, it seems more likely that he is sorry for himself. Q could not believe his ears when she told him that she wanted to visit his great uncle again, and actually thought that it was some kind of a sick joke.

Also, Q believe that the New Ones would be terrified of him because he is a dinosaur.  As he takes time to drink for the springs, he believe that the reaction of the New one next to here would be terror:

“I could already imagine her desperate screams the moment she saw me, her breathless flight.  she would spread the alarm, and the New Ones and the new ones would come out and hunt me... I should tear her limb from limb at once”(98)

He seems to be over confident, in that he feels as if he is a great beast that everyone should fear.  But on the other hand, he fears that the New Ones will come and shows a little vulnerability, and feels like he should prevent this through violence.  His inference almost got him into a lot of trouble.  If he had killed her, then her tribe would Have gone after him and killed him.  Q was lucky that she talked to him before he got too hasty.

In addition to misunderstanding others, Q is often misunderstood by them.

“If he wanted to fight, I was ready. But the mood of the village had changed in recent time: they made a joke of everything... ‘Yes, I am one... a  Dinosaur!’... general snickering broke out.”(108)

throughout the The Aquatic Uncle and the Dinosaurs, Q is always an outsider.  Once he begins to adapt to his surroundings, the others change.  For example, before, Q does not want to fight, when Zahn did, now when Q wants to fight, Zahn does not.  Also, he tries to hide that he is a dinosaur throughout the story while the New Ones are suspicious, but when they become comfortable around him, he reveals his secret, but no one believes him.

Touched

I have recently read a book called Silent Boy, by Lois Lowry and highly recommend it to anyone.  It introduces the troubles people with down syndromes face everyday.  Maybe we can even read it as a class this year...  well heres a summary of it(caution- spoilers):

 

The Silent Boy, by Lois Lowry, portrays young Katy Thatcher whose life ambition is to become a doctor, following in the footsteps of her father.  She frequently joins him on doctor calls, riding next to him on the buggy.  One day, while picking up Peggy, the new helper of the Thatcher family, Katy met Peggy’s brother, Jacob, and noticed his silence.  Later, she asks Peggy what is wrong with her brother. Peggy says that he is “touched in the head”.  Later, Katy meets Jacob in her stables, petting her horses.  She learns that he makes noises instead of using words and about his love for animals.

Later, she asked Peggy about his life on the farm. She informs her that Jacob tends to the animals on the farm.  When she visited the farm, Jacob surprised Katy with a kitten (which she had always wanted). That day, she noticed that he kept his wool hat on even when it was extremely hot out. She asks her dad and he explains that he thinks that he wears his hat to protect himself. “Jacob has his own world inside his head, Katy. I think his cap keeps that world feeling safe.”(Page 134)

Nell, Jacobs’s sister, had an unwanted baby. She was not going to take care of her, so Jacob applied farm animal strategies to this problem. He attempted bring the unwanted child to a wanting family, but, unfortunately, the baby was too young and did not survive the travel. It died and Jacob went into hiding, afraid that he would be punished for his act. When he was caught, and was sent to asylum and Katy never saw him again.

This story had a very deep impact on me.  It brought out emotions I never thought I could experience from reading a book.  It is an easy reading book with many different deep meanings that could be viewed from different ways.  I really hope that we can fit in time for reading this book this year, it will be worth it.

Response to Troy's thoughts on Ale'ah's post

I’ve been trying to follow the debates that have been going on about who is “allowed’ to say the n-word.  I’ve come across this quote from Troy’s blog that sums up my feelings completely:

In my opinion I don't think that anyone should be able to say it because for so long all it was used for was to put people down. Using put downs are wrong because the can seriously hurt a person. I have had to deal with many put downs in my life and they are not easy.

                                                          

While reading Ale’ah’s post, I had this exact thought.  I don’t understand why one race should be able to use it or not.  If the black community is so offended by this word, why would they use it in their everyday vernacular?  I think that nobody, regardless of their race should use this word.  It refers back to the slavery days where slave owners called their slaves this.  This inhumane act should not be referred to in everyday language. So therefore, the word itself should be eliminated from the vocabulary of all people.

I’ve heard many people use the word jokingly and this disappoints me because if they just took the time to understand where the word came from, they would not even think about ever saying it again.  The n-word came from the days when slavery was abundant.  The slave owners took the word Negro and changed it to label the slave.  When calling someone it, you are pretty much calling them a slave, and I think that is why black people become so upset when they are called this.  It brings them back to the days where they worked long, hard days without any salary. 

There is also debate on if they say the word with a “-ga” ending it makes it a friendlier notion than “-ger”.  I disagree with this completely because regardless, you are still calling them a slave.  Even when African American people say it to each other, it is wrong because they are calling their own race slaves, a thing they never want to be again.  I think for this situation, we should eliminate races from the factor, and say that all races and all people should be banned from saying this horrid word.

----Also, hopefully I’m not crossing any boundaries, but this thought occurred to me while writing this piece and I’d like to share:

Since white people in the past have always been superior and owned everything the African American community yearned for (freedom, money, etc.), the Black community wants something for their own now: the n-word.         <---- I am not saying this applies to everyone, but it is just an idea. Please respond, I’d like to hear your thoughts.

The Ball Game

As I stared in awe at the players in red and white running around the bases, admiring their skill, the world seemed perfect in my three year old mind.  I clung to the fence, not listening to my parents’ repeated warnings to stay way from the seemingly safe barrier. Three innings in, the baseball collided into my skull. With my ears roaring, I blacked out at the sound of the sirens of an ambulance.

I shook my head dazed and confused, finding myself on a roll-away-stretcher.  I had no idea where I was.  After my eyes adjusted to the light, they focus on the shelves lining the walls.  My ears keened in to the medical tools clattered around in the boxes while we rolled along the high way towards the Children’s Hospital.  Hearing my mother’s voice behind me, I tried hoisting myself up, but my head was injured much more severely than I had expected.  With a cry of pain, I lied back down with my head throbbing. I lied there sobbing until the doors were opened, and squinting out of the flaps; I spotted my mom.

As they brought me out, my mother informed me that my brother, Duc, and my dad were on their way because they were not permitted to ride on the ambulance.  We enter the Children’s Hospital and into an examining room.  The doctor had me climb up onto an exam bed.  At this point, tears continued to pour out my eyes.  My blurred vision allowed me to see doctors frantically scrambling around with sheets of papers and medical instruments like bees in the spring.  Stressed voices conversed using medical terms that left me thinking that they spoke a different language.

After performing countless tests on me, the doctors led me to my mother.  They address her and spoke softly, making sure that it was impossible for me to hear.  My mother gave the doctor her undivided attention and frequently nodded.  Finally, she smiled and sighed in relief; their conversation was over and she and I were free to leave. As we headed down to the ground level, my mother explained to me that I was fine and that we have to tend to the bruise every few hours.  I didn’t understand why I wouldn’t be all right but I was glad to hear that I didn’t have to stay with the odd doctors.  We walked out to the parking lot and found Duc playing with a toy castle set with my dad.  They smiled and rushed to hug me.  I couldn’t help but grin.  After much celebration, we determined that we were all hungry and decided to pay my grandparents a visit for dinner.

Academic Words

List of the ten academic works I must study:

1. derive
2. parameter
3. legislation
4. acquisition
5. liberal
6. medial
7. regime
8. welfare
9. facilitate
10. entity

Response To Nawara's Message to Freshmen

"When I think about school, I imagine homework, quizzes, breaks, gossip, etc. When I came to Alameda Science and Technology Institute, I learned that I was in a smaller environment and in an area that is full time work, work, work. When it was my first day of school, all I was thinking about was college. I felt like I was not in a high school where they have rallies, dances, and football games. I was in a community where we succeed in higher educational standards. As a freshman, I was scared. I felt like I was not going to succeed even though I was accepted, I did not feel like I was ready. While the year went on, I became to fully understand the requirements and expectations to succeed as an ASTI student. I felt more relaxed. As a result, teachers should console the students about future classes so they can arrange themselves to be successful."

This quote from Nawara's blog inspired me to write this:

The transition form middle school to ASTI's vigorous lifestyle has been easier than I expected so far.  I was expecting a large pile of homework on the first night of school but was pleasantly surprised at how the teachers eased us into the transition, making it easier for us.  In eighth grade, at Lincoln Middle School, I was well prepared for ASTI, in my point of view, because the homework load has been the same so far, and the high expectations have been nearly the same as now.  Classes are comfortable now, but I am sure that they will become more difficult as the year goes on.  The one thing I must make sure to do, is to not let myself slack off.  I must keep good work ethics throughout the year, even if the homework load is not so bad right now.

I know that if I let myself slack off now, I will not be able to pull myself together by the time I take college courses.  That excites me most about ASTI, but I am also a little worried that I will not be ready.  On the other hand, I have faith in my teachers to prepare me for college life.  So far, attending ASTI may have been the most important decision for my life.  It will prepare me for the future, even if I am missing the "rallies, dances, and football games".

Rebuttal: Abortion- PRO Yen and Melissa

Rebuttal: Abortion PRO

Pro Opener:
Abortion is not an act of murder, it is rather a case of a decision on whether or not a baby should be kept for the better or struggle through life. We believe that abortion cannot be called murder because a fetus is not yet an infant until born. According to W.G. Derbyshire, PhD and senior lecturer at the University of Birmingham fetuses are unable to feel pain until birth. Having an abortion is a mothers choice. They should be able to decide the options in which can benefit the incoming child. For example, if a fetus is diagnosed with handicapped abilities and the parents are unable to afford certain necessities for the child, it is unfair to bring the baby into the world if it cannot be treated correctly.

Con Opener:
Our opponents, Alex and Victor, stated that abortion is murder of a child, and should not be legalized. (A fetus is not a child until born, also they are unable to feel pain until birth.)  Another one of their arguments was about the hypocrite oath in which doctors swear that they will not abort a baby. (This cannot be proven because there have been many cases of abortion.)  They also stated that 2 million parents are looking to adopt a child, while only 130 thousand are actually up for adoption.  They made an invalid statement that future heroes may be aborted, and never have the chance of contributing to the world(they have no proof of this because how many heroes of America have actually been aborted?).  Alex and Victor also referred to the Bible as one of their sources. We believe that it is an ineffective and unreliable way of collecting information. Religion is not a good way to get information. They responded to the Bible saying that abortion is not humane and should not be done. Yet this is not enough information to persuade us to make abortion illegal. The last statement they spoke about in their opener was that mothers who abort a child may have remorse about their action, and that it may lead to depression and/or suicide(we are debating on whether or not it should be legal, so it is the mothers decision on the abortion. if the government forces a mother into having a baby, it may affect the mother and/or the child in the future.)

Abortion should be legal -PRO Yen and Melissa

Pro: Abortion should be legalized

Mothers who wish to have an abortion should not be penalized for the mistakes that they have made in the past.  Stated by the Supreme Court, “It is a woman’s fundamental right to make the choice to have an abortion.”  Abortion cannot be considered murder because a fetus is not a human being. Having an abortion is relative to terminating a pregnancy, not a defenseless child.  Also, according to Stuart W.G. Derbyshire, a senior lecturer at the University of Birmingham, fetuses cannot feel pain until birth, therefore having an abortion will not harm the developing infant. Fear of unsafe procedures during abortions are common, but modern, professional abortions are quite safe;the numbers prove that: 1 in every 100,000 women die in an abortion, while an average of about 13 women die out of 100,000 from pregnancies.  Keeping abortions legal, prevents women from having to preform illegal, unsafe abortions, that may cause death and diseases because of unsterilized tools, or amateur experience; according to the World health Organization, over 68,000 deaths have occurred because of non-official abortions in countries that outlaws it. 1 in 800 babies are born with Down Syndrome, and 1 to 4000 males/1 to 8000 females are diagnosed with X syndrome; It is unfair to bring a child into the world who will face a lifetime of handicap-ability.  

Having an abortion is a mother’s choice.  73% mothers who have abortions do so because their finances would not be able to support another human being, while 38% say that their baby would interfere greatly with their studies or pursuit of their career.  If the mother is unable of providing for her incoming infant then it should be her choice on whether or not to keep the child. Legalized abortion lowers crime rates by 50% . When a teenager or poor parent is forced to raise a child because of a mistake he/she made in the past, they must resort to crime to pay the bills and keep the baby alive.  But when a baby is raised in a crime filled neighborhood, he will grow up seeing crime all around him, and wont be able to differentiate crime from survival from unnecessary crimes.  They will grow up thinking that exploiting theft, or other sorts of crimes, not because of bad parenting, but the environment they were forced to grow up in because the parent was not financially ready to support a child.They cannot bring up a healthy child because of the influences around them.  By having an option to have an abortion it gives mothers a second chance to decide if they want to raise their kid in an unsafe environment.