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.