"The Twelve"

Click here to view my presentation on "The twelve".

Cry, The Beloved Country

Injustice in Christianity  

      Throughout the book Paton’s has many arising themes. Considering what has already happen in the story the injustice among the people seems to be a leading cause in many of the oncoming issues. The lack of Christian values is one of the main causes in the unfair treatment and injustice among the people throughout the book.     

     Throughout all the hardships that John Kumalo faces his comfort comes from his faith in God. When all the events containing his son start to come into the light John Kumalo's faith gets shaken up, but not completely broken. He felt that his son had lost contact with his God. Paton ends chapter 15 by having Father Vincent teach John Kumalo how to pray again,” Do not pray and think about these things now… Pray for your own rebuilding. Pray for all white people, those who do justice, and those who would do justice if they were not afraid. And do not fear to pray from your son, and for his amendment (142).” The simple facts that his son had killed a white man had worried him. John Kumalo spent a lot of time in prayer, not only praying for himself, but also for his friends and family. The book often explains that in the wrong hands, Christianity can put a bad message into the head of the people. A bad message such as, God isn’t looking out for all of his people, only the ones who truly show they have faith and believe in him,usually the whites.

     John Kumalo often reminds the reader as well as his brother, that the black priests are paid less than the white ones. Christianity is also, however, is sometimes associated with injustice. John Kumalo argues that all the church's should work against all of the unfair treatment going on around them. John Kumalo describes how the unfair treatment mixes in with the church, "My friend, I am Christian. It is not in my heart to hate a white man. It was a white man who brought my father out of darkness.... The white man has broken the tribe. And it is my belief-- and again I ask your pardon-- that it cannot be mended again... They give us to little... They give us nothing(55-56)." The social justice in South Africa is one of the major causes in the loss of faith and injustice happening there. Not only does Christianity provide a form of comfort for many in the story; it also is a form of security. 

     In closing, the prominent theme that Paton is making stand out the most is that the injustice among all the people, including the priest and the common people, seems to be the most significant cause in many of the oncoming issues. Lacking in some Christian values is one of the main causes in the unfair treatment and all of the injustice among the people in the story Cry, The Beloved Country. Things as simple as the whites getting paid more then blacks, although they are both doing the same job are events that could be avoided, if only everyone was treated equally, not by the color of their skin.
Words: 538

This I believe...

Backward Bullets

            I’ve have always been a little superstitious, and I’m guessing that is the reason I believe that bullets do fly backwards. This simply means that whatever you put into the world is what you will get out of it, also known as Karma.

            For as long as I can recall, I’ve always been a little superstitious. The first time really remember believing in Karma was when I was in the 2^nd grade. Ever since then I’ve been really cautious in every little thing I do.

            When my old friend Jasmine and I were younger, I will be honest we weren’t the nicest kids. We didn’t like to share and would sometimes exclude the other children from our games. Over the years we grew out of that realizing that that wasn’t a way to make friends.  When recess was still popular, we would be outside with the other kids doing the normal play ground things. Jump rope of course! We were in a small group of children, about 4 or 5 kids, when all of a sudden the new girl asked to join in.

            I didn’t mind her jump roping with us, but my friend Jasmine did. Throwing the rope normally as she jump and we sang the jump roping song, everything was going great. However out of the corner if my eye I could see Jasmine was up to no good. She started to twist the rope faster and faster testing the girl’s ability to jump that fast, forcing my arm to twist at the same rate she was going.

            After about 6 whole seconds of the fast twisting the girl’s legs finally gave in. Falling to her knees she began to cry. Only being 8 years old I found this very funny and began to laugh historically, not knowing that because I had participated I would soon be in her same position. Moments later the teacher came over to take the new girl to the bathroom and clean her up. After she left it was my turn to jump rope.

            Soon after the incident I started to realize that I had been a bully, and that my mother would not approve, I began to feel bad. Not realizing that I was still supposed to still be jump roping, my feet got caught not watching what I was doing. Falling to my knees I started to cry from the pain. Because I had been mean to the new girl and she had fallen and hurt herself I had the same incident. Looking up at the other children who were laughing at me, including my friend Jasmine, I then realized that what goes around comes around.

            Karma comes after everyone eventually. You can't get away with bullying people your whole life, I doesn’t matter who you are. What goes around comes around. That's how it works in life. Sooner or later the universe will serve you the revenge that you deserve. Do unto others that you would want done to you.      

Spinach Dip Recipe

Ingredients:

·         1 (10ounce) package frozen chopped spinach; thawed and drained

·         1 (4 ounce) can water chestnuts, drained and chopped

·         1 (8 ounce) container or sour cream

·         1 cup of mayonnaise

·         1 (.4 ounce) package of dry vegetable soup mix

Preparation:

The first step is to get out the Spinach so that it may thaw. It is also a good idea to get out the rest of all your ingredients so that they are in easy reach when you need them.

My mother and I usually get up pretty early so that the dip while have to chill. While my mother was getting out all of the other necessary ingredients I would usually go ahead and make sure the Spinach is thawed. Then I would squeeze all of the water out of the Spinach so that is doesn’t make the Dip extra watery. The Spinach has to be as dry as bark.

Next, you will need a large bowl for mixing everything together. Add the mayonnaise and sour cream to the bowl first; making sure everything is mixed evenly mixed. Use different spoons when taking each ingredient out of it container, so that nothing is accidently put into the wrong container.

My mom would always watch me very closely when I was doing the mixing, because I would sometimes forget to use a different spoons often when mixing the two together. After that was done my mother would always go behind me and give the Spinach one last squeeze getting the last bit of water out, which I would sometimes miss and my mother being stronger than me always double checks.



        The Spinach is then added and stirred in very well making sure none of the Spinach is clumped up. Then you can add the dry vegetable soup mix also evenly spreading this around.



        Usually my mom would finish the dip up while I clean the mess up we have created. My mom always said,

“If you clean as you go there’s no work to do at the end.”

So I would load the dishwasher, wipe the counters down all while listening to my mom horribly sing whatever was on the radio.

After you have evenly mixed everything the dip is now complete. You can serve warm, but it is best served cold. Sit in the Refrigerated overnight or 5-6 hours best taste.

thINK Assignment Two

Diversity and Friendship

By: Ariel Moore

One might ask how the tale, “Handsomest Drowned Man in The World," might relate to a teens everyday life? To start, much like the new kid at school Esteban was at first looked upon as an outcast. As a teenager in today's society we have all had that moment where you feel like you are not wanted or that you don't belong. It’s all a part of growing up and finding the group of people you can call your friends.

Esteban was very different from most of the people in the village. Much like at school where there is a great variation of students among the peers. Everyone has their own view on life and on living life. Having different world views makes us all extraordinary and unique. With that being said, not everyone will like you at first or at all. Nevertheless, there will always be that one group of people who like and understand you for who you are.

While the woman admittedly fell in love with the drowned man, the men from the village at first did not see what the big deal was. However after the women in the village showed the men the drowned man’s face they too were in awe at all of his handsomeness. Much like at school it would often take one person in a group people to take the incentive to befriend another person before the rest of the group considers friending the person. In life people automatically will assume things about someone before even getting to know them.

I believe the author, Gabriel Garcia Marquz, wanted the person or people reading her tale to learn a life lesson. People should look past people’s differences, whether they are physical or mental. Being perfectly imperfect in the world is what makes the world such a diverse place to live. Everyone is unique and special in some type of way, and living life as a teenager we can all benefit from getting to know the character Esteban. Even through his death Esteban was able to bring a whole village closer together even if it was just for one special occasion. Although it might take one person to take the incentive and be a leader to influence other peoples views on a person or situation.

 

                                                                                                                 

Words:388

thInk AssignmentOne

A World Beyond Belief

Most scientists said it couldn't be done. Researchers are trying to prove that it is in fact possible to make life like limbs function just as well as the real ones. This article explains how researchers are trying to accomplish the goal of making prosthetic limbs have a sense of touch. Not only looking like a real limb but function like one using a sense of touch. After I read this article, I have learned that having a prosthetic limb that has a sense of touch is imperative to the recipient so that they may live a normal life.

            When people hear the word “prosthetic,” they automatically think people with robotic arms or legs that look like something you might see off of Star Wars, but as the years have progressed, prosthetics are improving more and more. Research has shown that when people loss a limb something in the brain slows down to accommodate the lost body part. Bensmaid, an assistant professor at the University of Chicago, says, “If you lose your somatosensory system it almost looks like your motor system is impaired…” He continues to explain more about this, but the bottom line is that with a missing limb one’s body wouldn't function as it normally would.

            Many researches have spent a great deal of time performing test with Rhesus Macaques, better known as the Rhesus Monkey. Although, in my opinion, testing any type of product on animals seems to me inhuman and barbaric, in this case I find it necessary for animal testing since it enhances the chances of a better product.

            The world is forever changing. Within a blink of an eye something else great and new has been created. But for the time being prosthetic limbs will feel and sometimes look like man made tools, not reaching the full expectation of having a sense of touch.       

Words:314

Annotated Photo