spring break homework

We live each day wondering what will happen, what has happened and what is happening, sometimes blinding ourselves from the blessing and miracles around us. We blind ourselves when we refuse to see with our heart and only wish to see with the eyes. As Gregory Boyle quotes poet Rumi “Close both eyes to see with the other eye” (Boyle 133). This is such a beautiful quote, its telling you that sometimes the eyes cannot see it all and one has to simply close them so that they can see all that’s before. The eyes may miss something that the heart can see. The heart although it may not actually be able to see it feels and sometimes what you feel can enlighten your vision, your sight, opening a new perspective, a new view. “We discover our true selves in love”; Thomas Merton(Boyle 143). When we love something we are capable of being our true selves. It is always said that where love is you can be able to find yourself. Love is a miraculous thing that exists on this earth. It is what makes us human without it we cannot survive. When we open our heart to love we open a new side to us, we let ourselves experience something so special, something so empowering and liberating. When follow your heart, you are following the innerself within you. It is liberating when you are able to embrace who you truly are and live and love unconditionally. Love is the greatest tool we have. Love is never wrong, it is always right, it will find a way or make one. “Admit something: everyone you see, you say to them, “love me.” Of course you do not do this out loud; otherwise, someone would call the cops. Still though, think about this, this great pull in us to connect. Why not become the one who lives with a full moon in each eye that is always sating with that sweet moon language what every other eye in this world is dying to hear”, Hafez(Boyle 17). We all yearn to be loved and to love someone or something, we as humans crave this thing called love, it is what has brought us all onto this world. Without love humanity would not exists, we would all perish in the hatred we have in the world. A person who able to give and take love a person with a full plate, however the one who cannot is one that is partially missing and one who cannot see the world for all that it is. When we can let ourselves see with the eye we have on our heart is when we start to see the world and all that is around us for its true colors. Those who cannot are slowing dying inside yearning to be liberated from the cage that they are within. When we are able to liberate ourselves and acknowledge and show the light within us, we are allowing others to do the same. It only takes one person, one person to have the courage to show the inner light for the rest of us to do the same. We were all called to this world for a bigger purpose, a purpose that ties us altogether, and that is love. Although, we may not know every individual in this world we are all connected by love. The love that lets us see the good in all and the flaws as well, but this love is able to overcome all hardships and flaws. Love the third eye the one that liberates the one that lets our true colors come out to play and shine through the darkness that has been trying to conceal our beauty within and innerself.

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian Essay Final Draft

Angelica Norma Haro

English 102, DeWit

March 7, 2014

MW 9:30-11:45am

Lone Survivor

      Have you ever been stuck in a tunnel, and the only light that you could see was the one within you? Have you ever thought about what happiness really is? Happiness is not the absence of conflict, but the ability to cope with it. No one ever said life would be easy, nor did they say success would be so sweet. The obstacles we face each day are just blessing in which we must face and change our view and mindset, so that we can learn to appreciate and experience life. Even though we must fight a battle with ourselves and life, it’s a fight worth battling. Through the struggles we face and the experiences we encounter we learn who we are and what we stand for, although many never will know who they truly are or what they stand for, it is something we all yearn for, to be somebody, someone who leaves an impact of on society. We all die; the goal is not to live forever, but to create something that does. We all want the acceptance of our society, community and family, we do not want to be considered different, because different may not be acceptable. The longest journey begins with one step of courage, the courage to aspire to greater heights than that that people would never imagine you to accomplish, the courage to keep fighting no matter how hard life may get. Alexie's character Arnold is going through life and  has many obstacles with himself and life that he must face, and not let the worries and conflicts of life drown him while trying to still move ahead in life and be accepted by the community and society. Arnold has the desire to inspire the inner self within him, the ability to face life’s struggles and approach life with a new perspective, while holding on to the hopes and dreams in him, he manages to stay afloat and not only that, but to be able to swim through life. 

      We all want to make something of ourselves. We all want to be noticed by society and feel as if our life has meaning, value and importance. “So I draw because I want to talk to the world. And I want the world to pay attention to me… So I draw because I feel like it might be my only real chance to escape the reservation” (Alexie 6).  Arnold wants to feel like his life has meaning and is important to those around him. Arnold feels like the only escape he has from reality and the struggles is drawing. Drawing is a way he can leave the world’s problems without actually having to leave; it is a way where he can express himself without ridicule from his community and society. It is an outlet that keeps him positive and ambitious towards his dreams and hopes in life. Arnold does not want to sink like those who have lost hope, for example his sister Mary. “Mary was a bright and shining star, Mr. P said. And then she faded year by year until you could barely see her anymore” (Alexie 40). Mary was unable to hold on to her dreams, and like many she was unable to swim through the waves of life. Arnold does not want to be like his sister and his fellow Indians that have lost everything that ever kept them moving ahead in life. Arnold wants to be somebody and wants to be able to escape the reservation; he does not want to be held back by the problems there, so he decides to make a change, a change where his community and society may reject him, but the possibilities that come from that change help his dreams stay alive and help him keep his hopes high.

      “You’ve been fighting since you were born, he said. You fought off that brain surgery. You fought off those seizures. You fought off all the drunks and drug addicts. You kept your hope. And now, you have to take your hope and go somewhere where other people have hope” (Alexie 43). Mr. P’s conversation with him inspired him to make a change for the better. That change you may ask, that change was Reardan. Arnold decides that if he is going to be able to make it through life he has to go where there is hope, and hope can be found at Reardan. He is a fighter it is in him to fight, and be able to conquer the obstacles put in front of him.  “And I was making the attempt, too. And maybe it would kill me, too, but I knew that staying on the rez would have killed me, too” ( Alexie 216). Arnold is willing to make the attempt to follow his dreams and hopes even if he may risk his life. He knows that if he does not try and leave the rez he could possibly die, metaphorically and actually. Staying on the rez would just kill and suffocate the hope in him and keep him from achieving his goals. It is the killer of dreams, aspirations and hope. You must fight to stay alive.

      Life has many challenges and has its own path it follows. You may not accept the things that must happen and you may not agree with life, but life has its purposes of doing things. “I mean, I can’t even tell you how I found the strength to get up every morning. And yet, every morning, I did get up and go to school” (Alexie 173). Arnold lost very significant people in his life, Eugene, Mary and his grandmother, they gave him hope and now that they were gone he felt like his life had lost meaning and that his hope had diminished, but somehow some way he was still able to get up every morning and keep moving along. Although he did not want to, he had the will power within him to keep going. “I have to prove that I am stronger than everybody else. I have to prove that I will never give up. I will never quit playing hard. And I don’t just mean in basketball. I’m never going to quit living life this hard, you know? I’m never going to surrender to anybody. Never, ever, ever” ( Alexie 186).  Arnold  knows that if he were to give up, he would not be only giving up on himself, but all those who believed in him, his grandmother, Eugene, Mary, his parents, and Mr. P. He knows that to get through life you have to be tough back with it, you can’t let it overcome you, you cannot ever surrender to anything that is put up against you. Every obstacle one faces is just another stepping stone to their dreams and hopes. Reardan and Willpint game was awakening to him, it made him realize that if he put his strength and everything that’s within him he could accomplish greater things in life. It made him believe in the person he wants to become.
 
      “I realized I might be a lonely Indian boy, but I was not alone in my loneliness. There were millions of other Americans who had left their birthplaces in search of a dream...It was a huge realization. And that’s when I knew that I was going to be okay. But it also reminded me of the people who were not going to be okay” ( Alexie 217). Arnold soon comes to realize that he is not split in two; he realizes that he can still be Indian and go to a white school, because he does not only belong to one tribe, but to many tribes of people who were fighting to keep their dreams alive and follow them. He learns to accept the fact that not everybody is going to be okay, that not everyone has the will power to follow their dreams and that not everyone will be able to swim. “I always knew you were going to leave us behind and travel the world. I had this dream about you a few months ago. You were standing on the Great Wall of China. You looked happy. And I was happy for you… you’re an old-time nomad” (Alexie 229-230). Rowdy was one of the people that brought great joy to him. Rowdy comes to realize that Arnold was being a true Indian and not a half breed. Arnold hearing these words from Rowdy gave him even more strength to keep doing what he was doing. It gave him the courage to be nomadic, to be changing and growing as a person, an individual who he is. It gave him hope, hope is the only thing stronger than fear.

      “We could see our entire world, at that moment, was green and golden and perfect… I’ve never seen anything that pretty” ( Alexie 228). As Rowdy and him climb the tree he knows it is a big risk to take he knows he could possibly get hurt, but even after examining all the risks, he still decides to go through with it. This tree signifies life and how life has many phases. It also resembles the risks in which we must take to be able to make our aspirations a reality.  Arnold is able to appreciate the beauty of life and not only that but the beauty of rez. He knows that the rez holds beauty and that sometimes it may be hard to see but as soon as you open your eyes and see it from a different view there’s a tranquility and finesse about the rez.  “I would always love Rowdy. And I would always miss him, too. Just as I would always love and miss my grandmother, my big sister, Eugene. Just as I would always love and miss my reservation and my tribe” (Alexie 230). Arnold is able to accept the fact that even though he left he would always miss where he came from and is proud of where he came from. He’s able to make amends with the conflict he had been having within him. He knows that leaving is not as bad as it were to be thought of, but that it would open new doors and opportunities to be able to reach and accomplish his goals, dreams and hopes. “Despite being burned at the dump, and burned again in the lake of fire, Stupid Horse was untouched” (Alexie 224). Stupid Horse signifies hope and that no matter what it has encountered it is unbreakable. It signifies the hope in Arnold, the hope he has for his dreams and the hope he has to make someone of himself.  The tree and Stupid Horse together perfectly describe life. Although you may think you have no options, no hope, that you have nothing; however you do, you have the little light within you that keeps you going.  They signify the unreachable, and the potential that’s within Arnold.

      That light, you may ask what it is? It is hope. The only thing that keeps you battling life, reaching for yours goals and dreams, and gives light to your eyes to be able to see the world in a different aspect and teaches you to swim.  Arnold a tough teenager that no matter what he was handed he was able to make the best of it. Arnold never gave up on himself, or on his community or rez, he had enough hope for all of those that had lost it. He was able to make amends with his double conscious. Although you may not fit your communities or societies norms, it is okay somewhere in life there is a place for you. Keep striving for your dreams and keep fighting for what you deserve. Admire all the beauty around you, appreciate the hardships you face. Turn all the bad, negativity, and hardships into something positive, something worth living for, something to put your hope in. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian is great example of how many of us struggle to keep our head over the water, how many of us are too scared to learn to swim, that we just become content with staying afloat, but not Arnold he decided to beat the odds, and he learned to swim through life, keep his hopes and dreams alive and see the world through multiple perspectives. “The quality of a man’s life is in direct proportion to his commitment to excellence, regardless of his chosen field of endeavor”(Alexie 148).

Convince a teenage boy to read Alexie's book.

Have you ever felt like you were stuck in a tunnel, and that the only light you could see was the one within you? Well this boy Arnold, about your age Richie, is living a life that not many could survive. Just like you he can make light of any situation and find the hope and strength to keep moving on in life. He's just like any other teen age boy in this society trying to make it and fit in with the rest. He's athletic and loves to draw and guess what he also likes to masturbate, weird right. He's funny, caring and strong minded Arnold like you has experienced death, not being able to understand it completely, but being able to keep progressing through the darkness that had filled his life. Arnold handles many of these hard situations by using irony to explain what his feelings are. Richie you as well use irony when having to explain your feelings to others or just so you can be able to understand your own emotions. "The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian", is the name of the book I am telling you about. Richie this book would be a great investment on your life, it can show you many things and aspire hope and strength in you.

The longest journey begins with one step, so take this step and read this book. I know boys your age do not like reading and think it is weird for teenagers to read, but do not let that fool you, reading is a gift to us, it helps us be able to handle our own problems and helps us gain knowledge. Arnold is a great role model for boys your age, he's smart, funny, and athletic, but beyond that he an aspiring young man who takes the world on his own to hands and makes use of the desire he has inside of him to make someone of himself. Arnold comes from a big family, just like us, he comes from a community where being different is looked down on, where if you do not follow society norms and expectations you are shunned; even through all this Arnold is stilling willing to fight for what he thinks he deserves and manages to still keep the light of his dreams alive. Richie I know you are going through the toughest years of growing up, and I know that at times you may feel like you do not fit in anywhere or that you will never make someone of yourself, but always remember where there is a will there is a way. Never let the problems you face or the hardships in life derail you from the potential you have, Arnold a great example of perseverance, he never gave up on his dreams, so neither so should. Read this is book and I promise it will enlighten new thoughts, and help you make it through your teenage years.

Current State of Affairs with Native Americans in the US

The current state with Native American tribes in the United States is  that only those tribes that are federally recognized have the right to tribal sovereignty, self-government, but have certain responsibilities, powers, limitations and obligations to follow. Indian treaty rights are known to be the supreme law of the land and is the foundation of the Indian law and the federal Indian trust relationship is based on. The Indian trust relationship is the legal obligation under which the United States has promised to protect the Indian treaty rights, lands, assets, and resources, as well to hold itself to a moral obligations of the highest responsibility and trust towards Indian tribes.

http://www.bia.gov/FAQs/

http://www.library.ca.gov/crb/02/14/02-014.pdf

http://www.calindian.org/

Response to Obama's State of Union Speech

Obama in his state of union speech spoke on many different topics ranging from strengthening the middle class to reaching diplomacy with Iran. The war on terrorism has been going on for many years and seems that it will never truly come to an end if we do not choose to handle these situations differently from how we have done in the past. Obama wanting to diplomatically handle the situation with Iran is a new stepping stone to handling such matters. Obama stated "we don't only counter terrorism not just through intelligence and military action, but by remaining true our constitutional ideals." Obama here is stating that terrorism can be counter through remaining true to our constitutional ideals meaning that we must treat all those with justice and fairly. That even though they might be terrorist they still deserve to be treated with respect and that we must stand and remain true to our constitution. President Obama is talking about closing the prison Guantanamo Bay which is where many of the terrorist are held. President Obama feels that diplomacy is the way to handle such threats, that if agreement can be made between such countries threats will be reduced for example the agreement between the US and Syria. American diplomacy is why Syria is eliminating their chemical weapons. In addition to supporting Israelis fight with Palestine. American diplomacy backed with military force can reach agreement of peace and reduce terrorist threats.

Obama's State of Union Speech

President Obama today gave the State of Union Speech, he touched on a lot of topics, but paid a lot of attention on increasing and strengthening the middle class and to increase the minimum wage to $10.10 an hour. Also about immigration reform and making it happen this year. Help those who need it and give jobs to those who are unemployed. Obama said "America is the best place to invest not China", that we should stop outsourcing and bring those jobs to America. They will lower tax rates on business in the US. He stated that he will do what he has to do whenever and however. Those who own innovations today will owe the world tomorrow. He says the changes to come will bring "equality and opportunity for all". The war in Afghanistan will be coming to an end according to Obama, and no longer have troops in Iraq.  Affordable Care Act still will be in action, has helped many young men and women to have affordable health insurance. Republicans do not support this believe it is a hinder on our government and economy. At the end he emphasized greatly on veterans, specifically Sergeant First Class Corey Resmburg who suffered a traumatic injury while deployed in Afghanistan. Obama's says that Iran will not be building a nuclear weapon, he will make a deal with them to longer use their uranium and stop looking for it. He states any of those who try to oppose the sanction, he will veto anything against his decision. He also says anything that's worth it, is worth fighting for. Obama was strong and stood behind his decisions firmly. He hopes that both sides can work together to better the issues. He says this year will be a year with many changes, but all will be for the best.

republicans are against affordable care act, and making plea with Iran, and want the borders to be more secure, so those how deserve to have a job can have one.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/full-text-of-obamas-2014-state-of-the-union-address/2014/01/28/e0c93358-887f-11e3-a5bd-844629433ba3_story.html

http://www.npr.org/blogs/itsallpolitics/2014/01/28/267187415/5-things-to-expect-in-obamas-state-of-the-union-address

http://www.businessinsider.com/cory-remsburg-honored-during-state-of-the-union-2014-1

First Assignment

I am taking this class to be able to meet my general ed classes and be able to transfer. I am currently enlisted in the US Army, a full time student and work a part-time job. I am passionate about my family, medical and being happy with my life. I put a lot of time into school, army and educating and enjoying each day with my family. I believe the amount of time you invest in things and the quality of your work is what leads to success in life.