In a freewrite students responded to the following: Imagine peace: what does it look like? Taste like? How does it smell? What is it's sound? Is the concept possible?
Post your responses to the questions here. Respond to another post. We then swamped responses and responded to each others freewrites. Do the same here.
After much deliberation where I went off on a few tangential tracks, we decided to watch a film about Sept. 11: nine international directors, each film 11 minutes long.
Students also received a handout: chapter 4 from Dyson. He is interviewed by Byron Hurt. We will watch the film: Hip Hop: Beyond Beats and Rhymes Tuesday, Sept. 16. We'll meet in L-202E. Read the chapter in advance. We'll write the essay in class we haven't written yet in response to "Not Enough." This will be our freewrite.
Keep reading Chang. Buy Total Chaos. I'd like to reference it also as we explore different elements of hip hop culture.
I'll give you a list of essay assignments for the semester and lecture topics--a draft-- next week also.
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18 comments:
Deon Johnson
English 1B: (Tuesday/Thursday)
Free-write: Imagining Peace
I think peace is all in the mind; how you portray it, what you want it to be, and how you deal with it. I think the concept to peace is very possible, time consuming, but possible. When I think of I peace, I think about everyone being happy with self, which I think is the core of unanimity; having high self esteem, and being emotionally satisfied with the situation that they’re in, with the determination of finding a positive way out, if they want. I image it looking peaceful, hence the assignment, everyone is content, motivated and intransigence. I’m not sure can peace taste, but I image it tasting like something only God Allah, Nkosi Yezulu, Magano, Shangdi, and/or Bhagavan would make, putting love and care into the food. I think it will smell rare and glorious. The sound, however, is nothing out of the ordinary, its sounds of people talking, laughing, cheering, the things you hear every day and the birds singing. Peace is possible and, in my opinion, highly recommended.
Faraj
Fayad
9-10:50am
Free Write: Imagine Peace
I believe peace is something we could only imagine rather than live, because even though we do have moments of peace, it never lasts. Peace is, living in harmony and not having to worry about war, but I guess the human mind was built for more than one feeling. Life is made of two ingredients, love and hate. It’s funny how these feelings work together.
When there’s peace for a while, and two countries are friends, the governments of these countries must be similarities, but they are going to be replaced by different people, and the new leaders might differ greatly in their perceptions of the world causing them to fight. After the war is over, reparation is held making things even and those countries are back to peace again. This gives me the idea that we can all be peaceful, but first think of talking a situation out before jumping the conclusion causing a war to start.
Peace sound like the wind quiet, yet active and moving in one direction. As a believer of God, I believe we humans are born different colors, not just because of the climates our ancestors grew up in, but because we are given a task to learn to live with one another looking past the difference of color and culture, because if you really think about it, these are the only things that separate us. We then work hand in hand to help better the planet, but there lies one problem, and that problem is time. Over time over time the good turn bad and the bad turn good based on the things they face in life. Our job is to try to keep good thoughts in our kid’s heads.
Peace.
Benjamin H.
English 1B: (Tues/Thurs)
Sabir
Free-Write: Imagining Peace
In my opinion peace doesn’t have an appearance right now because of all the wars and violence in the world today, but I’m not saying that peace would never come because we all still have the future to look forward too. I guess that peace must taste like something good of course like when you take the first bite of a delicious home cooked meal. I believe that peace feels like when a mother holds her daughter or son for the time when it comes into this world. Peace has a sound that soothes ones soul and calms the mind so it can think clearly. The concept of peace is very possible and it will probably require all the effort from everyone in the world to make this concept a reality. Right now peace is just a fantasy, and this is why it requires people to imagine peace instead of enjoying the real thing. Peace would unite the world together instead of dividing it, and peace would make this word a much better place to live in.
Kimberly Peterson
English 1B
Imaging Peace
When I look at peace in my mind, I think of a time when we are all united. No one judges anyone.
I am not sure if peace will ever exist on earth. There are way too many ideas, everyone lives in their own universe. I am not sure if we will ever know the true meaning of the word at all. I hear about all of these "peace treaties" trying to be taken place and people use all of their heart, soul, and passion to put treaties together. But, in the end, someone almost always ends up getting hurt. The place of peace is unknown.
I am positive peace tastes glorious. It has the most cleanest taste. Man craves money and think money tastes delicious, but its really peace that we are craving for.
Peace is calm. It sounds like the calm right when the sun has rised. The earth awakening. Peace is powerful.
Aerin O'Leary
English 1B
Free Write
Imagining Peace. What would it feel like taste like, look like?
I thought peace to be something that is very possible in our lifetime. All we, or the world needs is a change of heart and opinion. Peace is a feeling of oneness, togetherness and love for everyone and everything. Knowing that we are all together and together we should be and work together rather than fight and strive to be higher than one another. The reason we cannot see,touch, or feel peace at this very moment is because of peoples greed and fear that with peace perhaps we would have no worries and this world would finally be able to see it true potential and thrive. Peace can be looked at as a white dove, somthing that is pure and truly appears to be at peace with not only the world but itself.
All we can do is talk about peace ad we see it and practice it in our daily lives in hope that it will someday...in the near future be a reality.
Robert Flores
I think that the world really does not portray peace nowadays. There are things that depict fear, war and terrorism. I want to state these things because even though they want to help promote peace, I believe they represent the opposite and also represent fear, war and terrorism.
We should remove the troops from the middle east. They are fighting for the wrong reason. They are spilling more blood just to win and for resources like oil.
At the airports we shouldn't have over excessive checks. From head to toe, bag to bag, we get check too many times. I believe at some airports there is a check point within a check point. This idea to me show terrorism. Instead of helping with it, I believe they make americans more nervous about it and also has much time constraints.
The news should not show clips of violence such as bombings or army troops dying. I thought it was bad when the news leaked the video of the beheading of the american soldier. This just shows terrorism and puts fear into many people's minds.
I believe life is about trials and tribulation. We are here to live life, have problems and solve them. If there was overall peace in the world, we would have no hardships or any problems and would deny us the right to be human (like having problems).
Aaron Lederer
I haven't seen peace in so long I probly wouldn't recognize it if I did see it. I'm sure it looks something like people working for each other instead of against. A gun wouldn't be a requirement for inner city youth to feel safe. What does peace taste like...? Like some orange chicken from panda express. You don't get it very often, but when you do, it's crazy. Peace feels something like being "comfortable," like you're sitting on a laz-e-boy chair with some food on your lap, watching football on a sunday with the remote on the armrest. Nothing can go wrong.
Is it possible? I doubt it, at least anytime soon. Getting rid of a behavior pattern is difficult. It's just human nature to be selfish, to make sure "you got you." And usually if you're doing anything to keep yourself in "first place," somebody else is falling behind...
Megan Cieri
English 1B
it depends on what type of peace you want me to describe. Peace for myself is way different than peace in general terms.
Peace for the planet cannot be imagined because it simply is not a possibility. Some one will always hate some one else enough to keep the conflict going. The planet is so one-sided and selfish that for anyone to care about anyone else enough to disrupt their own situation is unrealistic. The sad truth is that we will aleat each other in the end. peace is an intangable concept.
In a freewrite students responded to the following: Imagine peace: what does it look like? Taste like? How does it smell? What is it's sound? Is the concept possible?
Peace is a state of mind. Words that come to mind when you think of Peace is safety, tranquility, abundant, happiness. It tastes like freedom. Peace is like a peach that is barely ripe.It is sweet but bitter at the same time. It smells very good when your close by but dissappears when the distance gap increases. There is no sound. The sound of peace is tranquility nothing is bad nothing is good. Peace is like all these things. It is sweet yet bitter because there is a price for peace. With teh whole concept of it being attainable or not I believe it can be but not really sure how you would get there. For there to be peace one must dominate everything, a sovereign righteous being or no one rules at all but everyone needs to be flawless in their emotions as in content, be civilized people. That is a wish many dream for. The farther it seems the harder it is to reach this so called peace. It is this which makes it hard to capture this. You want to say it is possible but when you look at how you can acquire it, it almost looks impossible.
Imagine Peace
-jennifer nguyen
If I was to imagine peace I would picture is as...the world sitting on a rainbow next to a sun. (Creative, aren't I?) To me it would taste sweet like honey or ice cream, anything that could put a smile on a little child's face. It would feel like a day at the spa...mind put to rest and body completely relaxed. Or it could be the feeling of when a person does what they enjoy, even if it could be something simple as snuggling in a corner and reading their favorite book. It would sound like a day in nature, quiet...yet with the small noises of crickets chirping or the river drifting by. However, like learning to fly without a mechanical contraction, or growing 10 feet in one night, it's just impossible for the idea of of peace to become reality in this world. With humans being who they are, even the nicest person may have a small chance of greed and jealousy in them that could react to something else. The world is selfish and with that, peace will never become reality.
To me peace looks like an empty sheet of paper. Blank and unsoiled. Perfect in every way. No ink marks no lead marks; or maybe a playground of children under the age of six. Where they are still innocent an untainted by this cruel world. That is what peace look like to me. Peace feels like an ongoing everlasting love. One that can’t be taken away, given away, left or, destroyed. But will peace ever happen? No I don’t believe so. It can’t possibly happen we have too much greed. Too much self love and not enough brotherly love. Everyone is out for self. Peace yes it sounds good, yes it would feel good yes it would look good but will it ever happen is the question….
Tammia Jackson
English 1b
Wanda Sabir
Free write:(Peace)
PEACE
What does peace look like? To me Peace looks like, the waves in an ocean on a nice summer day. It feels like setting inside a Hot Tub and just relaxing. It sounds like birds singing and it also sounds like the Ocean. I believe this concept is very possible peace is within you. It like lying on the beach with your eyes closed, take a deep breath in and out listening to the water.
I would imagine peace being like the ocean, it would be safe and their would be the sound of waves crashing which would make it peaceful. The concept of peace all around the world is possible because when it comes down to it most people would rather live in a peaceful environment than a hostile environment
-Rashad Aiyewunmi
I believe that peace is when you and everyone else in the world are content with their situation. I dont believe this concept is obtainable because people will always want and desire to change their situation, which will either bring conflict to themselves, or drive them to take what they desire from others, which will bring conflict between us all
-John Rawson
I love the comments, especially these lines: "I image it looking peaceful, hence the assignment, everyone is content, motivated and intransigence. I’m not sure can peace taste, but I image it tasting like something only God Allah, Nkosi Yezulu, Magano, Shangdi, and/or Bhagavan would make, putting love and care into the food. I think it will smell rare and glorious. The sound, however, is nothing out of the ordinary, its sounds of people talking, laughing, cheering, the things you hear every day and the birds singing" (Deon).
"I am positive peace tastes glorious" Kimberly.
"What does peace taste like...? Like some orange chicken from panda express. You don't get it very often, but when you do, it's crazy" Aaron L.
Peace is mowing one's lawn at night under the light of the street lamp. It's 7:30 PM and by the time the weeds are pulled and the hedges trimmed, grass watered and leaves put in the bin, it's midnight.
The reality is someone walking by my house Friday at 8:20 PM and shooting up the house across the street. I'm on the floor once again crawling to the phone to call the police.
The reality is another shooting two days later. The reality is...I don't know why the reality is what it is. How can one have peace...if peace is crispy air, a breeze that inhaled makes one's heart dance to its rhythm, when one is scared or nervous inside and out?
Sometimes I close my eyes and imagine peace. I'm walking down a mauntain but I already see this beautiful place with gardens all over, with people loving and caring about each other, no borders, everyone represented by the same flag, the same language. I'm not there yet, but I can already taste the freedom, I take a deep breath every minute because it fills my system and my soul with purity. Children playing, laughing and singing in the backyard, I can also hear my fovorite song playing out loud and I'm feeling it deep inside. And suddenly this absolutely beatiful lady comes by, grabs my hand when she is in about to kiss me, my alarm clock wakes me up and its time to realize that is just a dream and go back to reality, and it saddens me to know that a place like this would never exists but then I also realize that even though this world cant be perfect it can always be better and I can make a little difference.
Wendy Estrada
Free write – imagine peace
Imagining peace has become an unbelievable feeling for me. Peace should feel calm, quiet, relaxing, dream able, an indescribable tranquility in your soul. Peace should look magical, untouchable, and unbreakable. Yet all I feel day by day is hatred toward one another because of colors, race, streets, and language. Peace should be the day we can all walk outside our homes and feel safe. The day we can talk in our home language and not feel discriminated in any kind of way. The day your skin color is not a problem in finding a job or just feeling welcome to a store. Peace is the day you can walk outside of your house wearing what ever color you want with out being afraid of someone questioning or shooting at you for it. Peace sometimes for me ends up being a dream. I can see it, but not really feel it because as soon as I wake up in a blink of an eye its gone. Just like ma struggles come to life.
Dominique West
For: September 11,2008
English 1B
Sabir
I'm walking downmy neighborhood street (I never do that). It's safe now. There's no man and woman across the street from us fighting, cussing, or kicking in doors. Instead it's quiet and everyone is outside celebrating, what? I don't know. But it's nice. Ooh! That's the sweetest tasting watermelon I've had. It feels like this love I've had before, or never had. Not old love, not new love, but right now love. My favoritesong is playingand best believe I'm dancing. I imagined it. I'm awake now. I dreamt it. They're back fighting and the drug dealers are outside harrassing some 16 year old girl dressed lime she's 26 all the while falling for whatever they say. And me...I'm inside. Tring to do homework, AIM, and talk on the phone about what's going on outside. Maybe this concept is possible...maybe not.
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