PLAN OF ACTION

I was not expecting to come away from this class learning so much about social issues, culture, family and even boarders. I did not think it would go this in depth, but I am glad it did. It gave a new perspective on the world. This was by far the best class I took this quarter because it opened my eyes to new issues I did not even know were present. The books were excellent in grabbing my attention and teaching about issues around the world in the eyes of a child. It was gripping. Although, sad and violent at times. The books that caught my attention most were Sold and A Long Way Gone. These two books were very detailed and brought out the realities of the situations these children were in. While reading these books, the one idea I could not get over was how young these children were. I couldn’t believe that they had to go through these horrible instances because of war and family reasons. It did not settle with me well. When I was around age twelve I was not worried about supporting my family or worried about being kid napped and taken by the rough military. These are issues that children should not be in the middle of or worrying about, and it was shocking that this was just another part of life for them. It really hit me when our guest speaker, Sean, came in because he explained what the children were going through in these war zones in different countries. He stated it best when he explained that we do not realize what is really going on around the world until it is right in front of you. Sure we hear some of the situations on the news but they aren’t giving the whole story. It is a reality shock when someone is put in another country and in a war zone. It is stories like these that allow us to realize the true issues of today’s society. And this is what I appreciated about these books the most; it gave a realistic example of the true actuality of what is being faced in the world.

The books and the speakers, especially, helped me realize I need to learn to understand the issues that are being faced around the world. It struck me that my problems aren’t so big, and that people and children younger than me are going through more than I will ever imagine in my lifetime. This is something that needed to be learned and accepted. Knowing that I can help out in some way makes it that much stronger of a lesson. Reading these books reaffirmed my passion for wanting to work with kids in my future. And for my Plan of Action, I will be volunteering for the Make-A-Wish Foundation starting this summer. I want to be able to make a positive difference in these children’s lives. They should not have to go through these tragic changes in their lives at such a young. I believe this opportunity will allow me to understand where they are coming from and how helpful this work means to them. I am so happy I got the chance to pick up these books and listen to these speakers because without them I would still be naïve about global issues around the world, and it reaffirmed my passion for what I want to pursue in life. 

Graffiti Wall

While doing this project I thought a lot about our guest speaker, Sean’s story. He had some great insight on war and peace that drew my attention in. He explained how much of it was a battle for him personally. A great culture shock no one really goes through until being in that type of situation. He was very adamant about wanting to help others after being in these torture zones and I thought this was enlightening. He didn’t want to go to war any longer and instead realized how much more of a world is out there that he had never known. He wanted to help and make a difference. After hearing his passionate story it brought my ideas for this project. First, I chose a picture of a soldier that turns into a little boy playing. This caught my attention immediately because of the reality it captures. It reminds me of some of the books we have previously read, especially, A Long Way Gone. It truly shows that young boys turn out to be tough military men and lose a sense of their innocence, as Ishmael does. Even as Sean said, he would never put his son into that environment, there is too much to handle and go through at such a young age.

The next picture I chose was of a family. And more specifically a military family. War can affect the family in so many ways and can be a true barrier between relationships, as it did for Ling in Revolution is Not a Dinner Party. Families somehow always get affected in detrimental ways by war and Sean added two important points. To start, he missed two years of his son’s life, and then while he was away at war, a little boy came to help them with their search because the boy said it was ruining his family. With all of these young kids running around in a danger zone, Sean realized how much he missed his family and how blessed they were as a family to be living and experiencing life the way they were. He knew at this point that he needed to be home.

I then added bravery, honor, respect, and certainly peace to this because each one of these words represents so many situations with war, family, and even culture. We all may have a different culture but as it has been discussed so clearly through out this course, we should appreciate and get to know these differences. Not let it separate us. Peace intertwines with this as well because we will always want peace presented to us. But we cannot find this peace until we find it in ourselves. It is not just about fighting in the war; it is about creating the peace we want to see. Even though this peace can be broken by war. One of the quotes I found really demonstrated peace and war, “The real and lasting victories are those of peace, and not of war” (Ralph Waldo Emerson). A very bold but truthful statement. While soldiers and characters from each one of these books represent the bravery they put forth for their families, the honor and respect they deserve when at times they don’t, is a time we have to acknowledge and realize the important things that are going on around the world today that we do not think about. It is about making the difference we want to see in the world.

A Long Way Gone

A Long Way Gone, by Ishmael Beah himself, was such a horrible circumstance that I could not believe that some of these instances and details were true. It was sad to see such young children go through these horrific events. What was most surprising was that Ishmael was only 12 years old when this occurred. It was hard to hear how bad he was brainwashed by his “family” during this time as well. His life was normal just as any 12-year-old boy’s would be and to have it taken away from him in an instant seemed so surreal. He had turned into something he never thought possible.

This army he is lured into becomes his family and this is exactly how he turned into just another vicious killer. The little things they did in this story really grasped the audience’s attention. From violence to drugs it seemed as if it were too extreme to be true. In order for them to fight or keep going, no matter the circumstance, drugs were always involved. Whether it was cocaine, marijuana or any other drug use. And this is what led these boys down the wrong path. However, thanks to UNICEF the boy soldiers did in fact get the help they needed and got put into a rehabilitation center in order to get better. Through the love and compassion here at the center he learns to accept the fact that the war was not his fault. He now reaches out to others in order to educate the world about the war and the affects it has on children.

I was happy to read the end of the story especially because it put a new light onto this tragic story. I was happy to read that Ishmael started to open up to Esther and even his Uncle Tommy as well. His Uncle Tommy would be there with him during his rehabilitation and would walk with him and tell him stories about his own childhood. Ishmael started to become the boy he once was before the war and his Uncle Tommy welcomed him into his own home thrilled to have Ishmael back on his feet again. This was a relief as well because most boys in the center would be denied by their immediate families and were seen going back with their army “families”.  This was sad to hear because we know that they would be in a much better spot, as Ishmael was.

I loved reading this story because it was definitely an awakening to understand what happened in this civil war. Especially hearing it from a boy who actually experienced it made the story that more real and personal. It was so nice to hear that he was able to get comfortable in the United States with a home and family that adored him for who he was, even after these sad events. 

Sierra Leone Civil War Research.

The Sierra Leone civil war was actually very interesting to read about because I have not researched this before. This civil war began on March 23, 1991. It started when the Revolutionary United Front, with the help of the special forces of Charles Taylor’s National Patriotic Front of Liberia, intervened in the Sierra Leone in an attempt to overthrow the Joseph Momoh government. This civil war had lasted eleven years and ended up leaving over 50,000 dead.

In March 1996, the Sierra Leone installed an elected civilian government and the retreating Revolutionary United Front signed the Abidjan Peace Accord. With this the new government declared the war over. It was shocking to hear after this announcement a wave of looting, rape, and murder followed. This was a reflection on the international dismay at the overturning of the civilian government. Then in 1999, world leaders had intervened diplomatically to promote negotiations between the Revolutionary United Front and the government. Later that year another peace treaty was signed and implemented. They had came to the conclusion that Lome would give the commander of the Revolutionary United Front the vice presidency and control of the Sierra Leone’s diamond mines in return for the ending of the fighting and the deployment of a UN peacekeeping force to monitor the disarmament process. Of January 2002 the President declared the Sierra Leone Civil War over.

While reading this, I thought it was interesting that diamonds are such an important attribute to this area. I decided to look more into this to see what exactly I could find about the diamonds and the good it brings. So what I discovered is that in the Eastern and Southern districts in Sierra Leone they are rich in alluvial diamonds, and more importantly are easily accessible! All someone needs is a shovel, sieve, and transport. I thought this was fascinating because we do not see this in the United States, so I was surprised to read about this. The phenomenon whereby countries with an abundance of natural resources tend to nonetheless be characterized by lower levels of economic development is known as the “resource curse”. By the late 1980’s almost all of Sierra Leone’s diamonds were being smuggled and traded illegally, with revenues going directly into the hands of the private investor.

Reading further it was explained that diamonds weren’t the only significant factor in the civil war. Gold mining and even cash crop through forced labor was well known. Looting was also seen with currency, household items, food, livestock, cars, and international aid shipments. Joining this rebel cause for Sierra Leoneans was an opportunity to seize property. But something I read that seemed important to note, is that the reason why the civil war should not be held over the account of the economic benefits from the alluvial diamond mines is because before the actual civil war there was years of poor governance, poverty, corruption and oppression which had created the circumstances for the rise of this civil war to take place.

Group Book Talk-Where The Wild Things Are

Where The Wild Things Are is a classic children’s book that has several deep and promising messages. Even now with the movie out, it relates more and more to the fear and sadness of children, while also connecting to anger and aggression. In this movie, the family situation is represented in a more detailed fashioned. Max lives with his struggling single mother and his sister. He is a good kid, but feelings of loneliness and the difficulty of his family situation lead him to act out at times, taking his frustration out on both his family and their property. In the beginning, he gets sent to his room but in this moment he realizes he is afraid of the loneliness, having no food or company in this dark moment. The fears of childhood come out as anger. Allowing him then to go to his imagination. It leads him to find a boat and a body of water, and he sails away to Where the Wild Things Are. In this particular place it represents what fear is and how to overcome this fear.  He faces these fears, with The Wild Things, and becomes the king of this magical place.

Max finds that he has some things in common with the Wild Things. They are childlike and sensitive, and they also take out their anger and fear in ways that are destructive or unproductive. The Wild Things live together as a family, and just like any other family, their different personalities sometimes clash, but in the end, they all love each other. He learns the true value of family while being with the wild things, seeing the connection each of the wild things have with one another makes him realize he can be more appreciative of the good things he has at home with his mother and sister. And even when coming back to his home at the end of the book, he comes back to a hot supper. This powerful ending to this story touches on the main point that his family will always be there for him. This story helps children come to terms with shadow elements of life and the tricky emotions of fear, anger, envy, and anxiety. It is about experiencing and figuring out how to get through our fears.

Many issues could potentially occur using this book, especially in the movie, which is a deeper depiction of the story. There have been many mixed emotions about this book because there are many layers that need to be peeled away to completely understand the underlying message. Some parents see it as too dark or deep for children. Some may see that it is about children and not necessarily for children. It is supposed to open our minds to our fears and struggles in life and to face these fears. Even to find our own kingdom to rule like Max. Knowing that some parents might have a hard time with their child reading this book because of its darkness, it is hard to say whom this book would be appropriate for. However, I believe this story to be great for all ages because it gives a great representation about how to face your fears and the values of family all in one story. Therefore, I believe everyone could relate to this type of story. I also believe it teaches children to use their imagination and creativity while also teaching a strong lesson. It is a very powerful book or movie, whichever one prefers. I would use this text to teach children that everyone has fear and it is okay to have, and once this is accepted it is possible to overcome this fear. 

Revolution Is Not A Dinner Party

Ying Chang Compestine’s, Revolution Is Not a Dinner Party, was very surreal and emotional. This story particularly stuck out to me because a 9-year-old little girl was telling it. This is what made it such an emotional read. Hearing it from her perspective gave a drastic approach to how the revolution actually was during this time. When doing the research before hand I was shocked that I had not heard about this particular revolution. Being able to read a realistic story about it explained a lot about what exactly was going on in the towns. I personally felt this to be just as bad as the Nazi Germany case. It was extremely sad to hear that families, even children, were getting sent to these work camps when they were out of line. The way it was described as them “disappearing” made it even more sad and real.  I couldn’t fathom how people work through and live through these revolutions. It is such a shocking time and I personally could not imagine dealing with these situations in our modern society today. I appreciated the read because it was factual and definitely explained the hardships for the people in this society.

The ideas that were mentioned more than once through out this book are what really caught my attention. For instance, when they kept making families or individuals “disappear”. I thought this to be hugely unfair and they did not give anyone who was out of order any time to fix their mistakes. When Mrs. Wong’s husband had disappeared this seemed to be the breaking point of what this revolution was entailing. It was interesting to hear the father talk about how the workers back at the hospital would go missing every now and then as well. I just could not believe that there was nothing to be done about these situations and everyone tried their best to move on and accept what was happening out of their control. Also, there was so much detail of what happened on their day-to-day lives that it really allowed the audience to open up to the idea of what it was like to live during this horrible time. I believe this drew in my attention because every little situation that happened to either of the families, that we got to know through the book, really helped to grasp and feel for each individual.

Overall, I believe this is a great read and it is something that needs to be taught more often or even just recognized because I am still in shock that I had yet to learn about this revolution. I feel this would be a great read for younger kids because it gives the sense of what has happened in the past that we do not necessarily hear about in our daily lives. I also believe it will make many understand how lucky and privileged they really are. We take so much for granted sometimes that we do not recognize or give thanks to all that we have. This is a book that will make someone realize this and begin to appreciate the finer things in life. 

Chinese Cultural Revolution

I was pretty surprised I have not heard more about the Chinese Cultural Revolution. It was so interesting to read about, while even taking a revolutions course last quarter, it shocked me that I had yet to learn about it. The Chinese Cultural Revolution was a social/political movement that began in May 1966. It was set into motion by Mao Zedong, which was the chairman of the Communist Party of China. It was interesting to note that the goal was to enforce communism in the country by removing capitalist, traditional and cultural elements from the Chinese society. Mao thought it was taking China in the wrong direction. I thought this was an extremely bold approach and it is appalling to hear that it had lasted until 1969, except it was active until the death of military leader Lin Biao in 1971.

Hearing how the youth responded also caught my attention. They responded to Mao by forming groups known as the Red Guard around the country. The movement had spread, it is explained, into the military, urban workers, and the Communist Party leadership. It resulted in widespread struggles in all walks of life. With these different groups of the Red Guard battling for dominance, many Chinese cities reached the brink of anarchy by September 1967. With these battles and movements going on it was quite engaging to read that their economy plummeted because of this. I actually wanted to note I found that the industrial production for 1968 dropped 12 percent below that of 1966. And it is also stated that 1.5 million people were killed during this revolution and millions suffered in imprisonment, seizure of property, torture or general humiliation. So it is easy to see that this revolution caused a lot of problems for China whether it was people trying to fight back or if it was the economy. Many situations were happening around this time that their society seemed to be failing. I then went on to learn that the revolution’s short-term effects were definitely felt within China’s cities, but the long term effects were even more crucial. Mao’s attempt did not end up doing what he wanted and it led China to not have faith in their government any longer. I thought this was a sad ordeal because people of a big country should have faith in their government and what is going to come next for their country. However, this was not the case.

In the few articles I read about the revolution I did not see much explaining the groups of the Red Guard. I wanted to learn more about their actions and attempt in the revolution and against Mao. I want to keep researching and reading up on this revolution. I was very astounded that this was the first time actually researching about this topic but I found it incredibly interesting and I am glad I got to do the research. I still have some questions but it was a great revolution to look into.