Thursday, November 21, 2013
Sunday, November 3, 2013
Why do we read old documents?
This week, my class read the English Declaration of Rights as well as the Declaration of Independence. When we got into class, we turned in the questions we had for homework with confidence, feeling as if we have deducted all we can from the documents and thus firmly grasped what they had to offer. When classtime begun, I expected to move on to a new topic seeing as I thought we were done with this, but Ms. Castillo told us to tell her exactly what the documents were about. Right then and there, nobody in class could give a well said explanation about it. So I knew exactly what was gonna happen: We were going to go over it word through word. And I have to say, I was both bored and fascinated at the exact same time.
We learned new words, we grasped new subjects (learning how to do SOAPStone properly), and we got to understand the documents much easier. By the time we were done, we felt so confident as if we could write a score 8 essay on it (which is kind of pushing it seeing as the pressure of time is in the equation). But aside from gaining new knowledge on words and the purpose of these past documents, I for one felt a little spark on me that ignited from realizing one thing: I understood a historical document written in such eloquence that some adults today might possibly sleep to.
The importance of reading documents like these stems from the fact that they speak of topics that may be discussed today, but they are told from traditional times with a classic feel in its diction and purpose. We learn more about our future if we master our past when it comes to words. It is so much easier to read something simple like today's common book like "The Hunger Games", yet we panic when we are forced to read something as long and complicated as "Shakespeare's Hamlet", when that was technically the common text back then. When we in modern times read such sophisticated old works of literacy, we are able to gain a sense of scholarly nature and thus gain more confidence in ourselves when we strengthen our reading and comprehension skills. We read those old works so we can read the new works with a more flexible mind that can deduce so much more. The more we struggle to read from the past, the more we will be able to read peacefully in the future.
-Meghan Espinosa
We learned new words, we grasped new subjects (learning how to do SOAPStone properly), and we got to understand the documents much easier. By the time we were done, we felt so confident as if we could write a score 8 essay on it (which is kind of pushing it seeing as the pressure of time is in the equation). But aside from gaining new knowledge on words and the purpose of these past documents, I for one felt a little spark on me that ignited from realizing one thing: I understood a historical document written in such eloquence that some adults today might possibly sleep to.
The importance of reading documents like these stems from the fact that they speak of topics that may be discussed today, but they are told from traditional times with a classic feel in its diction and purpose. We learn more about our future if we master our past when it comes to words. It is so much easier to read something simple like today's common book like "The Hunger Games", yet we panic when we are forced to read something as long and complicated as "Shakespeare's Hamlet", when that was technically the common text back then. When we in modern times read such sophisticated old works of literacy, we are able to gain a sense of scholarly nature and thus gain more confidence in ourselves when we strengthen our reading and comprehension skills. We read those old works so we can read the new works with a more flexible mind that can deduce so much more. The more we struggle to read from the past, the more we will be able to read peacefully in the future.
-Meghan Espinosa
Wednesday, October 2, 2013
Government Shutdown Impacts Religions
http://www.christianpost.com/news/christian-social-justice-leaders-unhappy-with-congress-as-government-shutdown-looms-105619/
Religions ranging from Jews to Muslims to Christians in America are starting to feel enraged by the government shutdown. They are feeling targeted by the government due to it's overuse of it's own title and stating how it can do anything it wants to protect their own selves without regard for the impacts it will have on the American people. "The Bible sees the role of government to protect from evil and promote the good, especially helping and protecting the poorest and most vulnerable people. To protect the common good and the most vulnerable is being denied as the role of government by those who are so eager to push for the brinkmanship of one government crisis and confrontation after another" says one of the CEO's of the government. Shutting down the government makes these people feel as if their beliefs are being abandoned in this country of freedom.
Religions ranging from Jews to Muslims to Christians in America are starting to feel enraged by the government shutdown. They are feeling targeted by the government due to it's overuse of it's own title and stating how it can do anything it wants to protect their own selves without regard for the impacts it will have on the American people. "The Bible sees the role of government to protect from evil and promote the good, especially helping and protecting the poorest and most vulnerable people. To protect the common good and the most vulnerable is being denied as the role of government by those who are so eager to push for the brinkmanship of one government crisis and confrontation after another" says one of the CEO's of the government. Shutting down the government makes these people feel as if their beliefs are being abandoned in this country of freedom.
Friday, September 13, 2013
Muslim persecution of Christians (Article and Response)
http://frontpagemag.com/2013/raymond-ibrahim/muslim-persecution-of-christians-summer-of-horror-for-women/
Response:
I have to say that I am absolutely disgusted, not by the fact that the Muslims hate the Christian beliefs since that is simply their culture and that they wish to focus on their original religion of their region, but by just how horrendous these people harm and treat the Christians for their practice. These people are killing, raping, and even burning down churches in honor of their own beliefs, which I believe to be inhumane since the killing of man should never be justified by any belief or religion. Religious persecutions are all varied depending on the culture or regions where it is present, such as how in Somalia they are killing Christians in public for their own beliefs yet America has a church like Westboro Baptist which persecutes other churches for their supports and such by protesting and even going as far as invading funerals to protest their harsh beliefs that only proceed to hurt people for their own beliefs.
Response:
I have to say that I am absolutely disgusted, not by the fact that the Muslims hate the Christian beliefs since that is simply their culture and that they wish to focus on their original religion of their region, but by just how horrendous these people harm and treat the Christians for their practice. These people are killing, raping, and even burning down churches in honor of their own beliefs, which I believe to be inhumane since the killing of man should never be justified by any belief or religion. Religious persecutions are all varied depending on the culture or regions where it is present, such as how in Somalia they are killing Christians in public for their own beliefs yet America has a church like Westboro Baptist which persecutes other churches for their supports and such by protesting and even going as far as invading funerals to protest their harsh beliefs that only proceed to hurt people for their own beliefs.
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