Conservative Point of View

In the final unit of our class Forbidden Books, we learned about censorship. We did not do an action project for Unit 2 because our teacher thought this project hold more substance. In the 3rd unit, we learned about the censorship of books. We read Sherman Alexie's "The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian." We had weekly book clubs to discuss the book. We visited our local public radio station, WBEZ, to meet with their south-side correspondent Natalie Moore. Ms. Moore wrote a book about the South-Side that was banned in Illinois prisons. We talked with her about what it was like to be an author of a banned book. At the beginning of this class, we chose one of five banned books. The options were: The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton.The Color Purple by Alice Walker. Animal Farm by George Orwell. Lord of the Flies by William Golding, and The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger. I chose The Color Purple because i've seen the movie before and really enjoyed it. We then had to read the book and write an essay about why it was banned. I wanted to take a spin on this essay and write about the banning in a conservative point of view.

Conservative Point of View

Love has traditional values in the way it should be shown, given, and more importantly in the way it should be written. Love is the theme that was portrayed in The Color Purple. For example, Celie and Shug in a rather odd way, shifting between a very physical attraction to her to a sisterly love, and then right back to the love a daughter has for a mother. She says "I love looking at Shug." (Walker, 77) and "I work on her like...she mama." (Walker, 55) Even in the very beginning of the book, you get this feeling that Celie envies Shug's life, and really wants to be like her. Then it transforms from an admiration to a genuine love for Shug as she gets to know her, and then settles in on a sisterly love. The Color Purple is written in the form of letters that Celie (main character) writes to God. Celie is a uneducated, poor, African American 14 year old girl. The letters she writes to God talk about the trials and tribulations she faces. Her father Alphonso is mentioned heavily throughout her letters because of the damage he has done to Celie. Celie's father beats her harshly and rapes her continuously, she has been impregnated twice, but the children were both been abducted by her father. Eventually Alphonso marries Celie off to a man who is just as bad as him. The name of Celie’s husband is not mentioned, only written as Mr.__. Mister marries Celie to take care of his four kids, look after the house and work in the fields. Celie seems somewhat content with her marriage because she can take her younger sister Nattie out of her Father's house. Soon enough Mr. kicks Nettie out after Nettie rejects his sexual advances. After Nettie leaves, Celie’s life gets worse as she’s now separated from the only person whom she loves and who loves her back. Shug is Mr._ mistress, she becomes Celie's friend and eventually her lover. Shug remains a mentor who helps Celie evolve into an independent and assertive woman. Celie tells Shug how Mr._ beats her repeatedly and decides to stay to protect her. Shug and Celie’s relationship grows intimate, and Shug begins to ask Celie questions about her sexual habits. Celie grows admiration for Shug as she was the first person to show her signs of affection towards her. This form of love is not one that is rooted in traditional roots and should not hold educational values because of it. The Color Purple does not hold any educational values in the school system; therefore, it should be banned.

The Color Purple does not have any educational values based on the non systematic theme that it holds. West Virginia took action and banned The Color Purple in 1986, like several other school boards because of its troubling ideas about abuse, man’s relation to God, and human sexuality. Bernard King, a member of the school board said, "It could lead to different sex games and violence and other things" (Washington Post). The long established curriculum keeps the students formulated into a systematic ideology and detain from the toxicity emotional attachment does. Ultimately, these are topics that have no matter in a school system that holds the majorities inclination.

There are several examples in The Color Purple that school system point to as reasons it should be ban. For example, “He [Pa] never had a kine word to say to me. Just say You gonna do what your mammy wouldn’t. First he put his thing up gainst my hip and sort of wiggle it around. Then he grab hold my titties. Then he push his thing inside my p****. When that hurt, I cry. He start to choke me, saying You better shut up and git used to it”(pg. 1). This quote was problematic because its explicit depictions and language. Secondly, “Ain’t no way to read the bible and not think God white, she say. Then she sigh. When I found out I thought God was white, and a man, I lost interest. You mad cause he don’t seem to listen to your prayers. Humph! Do the mayor listen to anything colored say?”(pg. 194). This quote depicts the controversy of religion in a demeaning way. Quotes like these are throughout the book and holds no value. They are only expressing vulgarity with no necessity. The Color Purple influences political, religious, and diversity disputes, but because the delivery speaks figuratively the vulgarity outweighs the significance. That being said, it was problematic from the fact that the book hold text that triggers every social aspect. The Color Purple touched on religion when talking about God being a white male, politics when talking about the government not listening to colored folks, and lastly the diversity in race.

The ideologies the book expresses holds no substance in any systematic matter. This ratifies how the banning of The Color Purple is justified to be out of reach for kids. Reasons be the vulgarity in the depictions of violence, the lack of educational values based on the non systematic theme that it holds, and how love has traditional values in the way it should be shown, given, and more importantly in the way it should be written and with that being The Color purple portrayed love being an unhealthy in every standpoint. Alice Walker the author of The Color Purple implemented these ideas with a purpose, her controversial text was apart of her creative writing to expose a certain system that has been oppressed by the majority. As she states, "Also, I think it is anyone’s right to do what they feel they have to do. They have a job. I have a job. I will write what I think is right for me to write. They will oppose it. In a way that makes us equal. Though when one’s work is completely suppressed this is a bitter acceptance."(GuernicaMag).

The censorship of books has been a necessity for many years, whether they were banned because of vulgarity, suggestive themes, religion, or just plain hate against a certain group. The "forbiddance" of a book keeps us safe from a world thats created with ideologies and nonsystematic themes. Looking into a school system we should feel safe that our kids are going to school filled with factual strategic knowledge and no unhealthy ideas. In conclusion The color Purple holds no matter in any learning environment.

“The Pipeline of Book Censorship.” Tavaana, tavaana.org/en/content/censorship.

Works Cited:

“WEST VIRGINIA SCHOOL BOARD BANS 'THE COLOR PURPLE'.” The Washington Post, WP Company, 9 Nov. 1997

“Why was the book "The Color Purple" banned? What was done to allow the book "The Color Purple" not to be banned?” Enotes.com, Enotes.com.

Genesis's Food Review

On our third unit of food for thought, we were asked to be in the mindset of a reviewer, more importantly, a food reviewer of our chosen dish. I chose to analyze ceviche as it is a versatile dish that is easy to make and enjoy any time of the day.

Welcome to Genesis's Food Second Thought

Hello, fellow food eaters, today we will be reviewing the inquisitive flavor of ceviche. We will take on the fight of a home cooked ceviche made by the one and only (me) and ceviche from a Mexican restaurant called the "El Burrito Jr."

DS "Bomb.com  Ceviche" 2017

My ingredients:

• Tilapia: .5 pound
• Tomatoes: 1
• Onions: half of 1
• Cilantro: 3
• Lime Juice: 1 1/4 cups

Presentation rate: 3/5
The presentation was not appealing to the eye from the drenched juice that was balled up in the boring container. As they say, don't judge the book by it's the cover.

Taste rate: 5/5

The mouthwatering acting up quenched my thirst with a mix of lime juice and tilapia juice melting in my mouth with a soft crunch of white onions including an earthy kick of cilantro with a small hint of sweetness of the tomatoes. 

Texture rate: 4.5/5

The texture was really spongy with the lightweight chew of every ingredient. The longer it sit on the container the more infused it got making it the same consistency. Overall I rated it a 4.5 considering to my liking I like ceviche to fall in mouth making it easy to chew to be able to savor and enjoy most of the flavor.

GA "amazing ceviche" 2017

El Burrito Jr." ingredients:

• Tilapia
• Lime: 2
• Cucumbers
• Tomatoes
• Tostada: 1
• Cilantro

Presentation rate: 5/5
The presentation was aesthetically pleasing to the eye. This gave a more clean look to the dish adding a tostada. Overall the presentation was good quality.

Taste rate: 4/5
I was very disappointed knowing I set high bars from the presentation. The saying don't judge a book by it's cover definitely followed into this category too. The ceviche had the lime optional making the cucumber the ingredient that makes the dish sour. The tilapia was also cut in bigger pieces from the tomatoes, onions, and cilantro making it a overpowered by other ingredients. I personally like a balanced variety of ingredients to be able to savor each flavor and sadly I was not able to say that for this dish. Even though it was not to might liking I will still recommend you purchasing  just to have an idea of what you might or might not prefer to add in your ceviche.

Texture rate: 4/5

The texture was dense with the chunks of cucumber and fish. It wasn't a sharp of a taste knowing they used lime instead of processed lime juice. Once it hit your mouth it was a smooth feel from it being watery.

Both of these dishes were made from fresh ingredients knowing it only consist of fish and vegtables but they were definitely not organic. Knowing making ceviche is really versatile to the persons liking rather it be the acidic, sweet, or an earthy feel it really does not matter rather it is organic or non. I personally think non organic vegetables are more convenient and cheaper for me which is why I choose it but there should be no reason why you cant use organic products. 

The relation i would reflect my dish with 5 food transformation would be quantity over quality. Restaurants like "El BurritoJr." may not cater to the individual liking of a dish like ceviche knowing they care more about efficiency which follows into the category of quantity. Versus making the ceviche yourself you really get a wide variety of ingredients of your choice. Many consumer may enjoy the fact they know where their products came from.

In conclusion ceviche is very versatile to the consumers liking. I would recommend you to make it at home knowing you get a bigger portion and satisfaction knowing you know it will be good and a light weight dish to eat at any time of the day.

Threat to the World!

In my second unit Death in our class Food for Thought, I made a video discussing how monoculture is the biggest threat to the global food system.

Works Cited:

"Bee collapse is the result of their enslavement in industrial monocultures." The Ecologist. N.p., 28 Apr. 2015. Web. 23 May 2017.

"How do monocultures influence bee health? (John Tooker Lab)." John Tooker Lab (Penn State University). N.p., 02 Aug. 2014. Web. 23 May 2017.

"6 Problems with Monoculture Farming." Regenerative. N.p., 16 Dec. 2016. Web. 23 May 2017.

Know To Grow!

In our first unit Food, our first action project was about "planting" our own garden from all the earlier information we have learned. We learned about how plants grow, what makes up good and bad companions, biodiversity, and the iterations of organisms.

GA, My Plantation, 2017 

The value I had for gardening and just another living organism has changed over time in this unit. I learned the rules and skills you need to carry to grow a garden. I also learned the several different ways to grow plants rather it be inorganic or organic. The place I choose to place 10 plants was in my backyard. On the right side, there is a fence which may help out when the crops start to sprout it will use a leverage for growth. The plants will grow in a column like station knowing that is the previous space my family uses for growing other crops which made it idealistic to place. The space measured out 3 square by 6 square with a total of 18 ft squared. Next, I placed 3 Tupperware which measured as h=6 in and l= 4.5 w= 5 with a total of 120 in cube each. The plants I decided to grow was cucumbers, parsnip, peas, potatoes, pumpkin, beans, celery, corn, radish, and dill. If I was to grow the peas and potatoes next to each other instead far apart it will cause a bad companion and cause a relation of competition knowing they will fight for survival such as sunlight, nutrients, and space.

My nitrogen levels were at a medium level which means I would have to apply a moderate amount of fish meal to my soil. I chose fish meal because it was a light enhancement. The meal is 4 lbs per 100 sq ft. I first had to calculate my square footage. My nitrogen turned out 1.38 and as for my potassium, it was 307 as it did not need any further calculations and as for phosphorus, it turned out to 2.78.

In this unit, we also read a book called One Straw Revolution and a reflection on Fukuoka practices of farming and how they differ from the norm of agriculture. Fukuoka practiced natural farming which included no pesticides, herbicides, mechanical plowing, and chemical fertilizer. Comparing this to my garden I can say I will not need to do most of these things knowing I have such a small space and using too much can drown the plants into a lot of absorbent of unnecessary chemicals which means I will use his practices on natural farming by leaving it to nature.

Overall I can say this unit Really opened my eyes to find out how fragile everything really is and how easy it is for organisms to develop unbalanced. I also learned That everything on this Earth has a purpose in life in a way that we help each other out to grow and keep surviving as a balanced community similar to what Fukuoka has stated

My Solution to Pollution

As I end Fuel with the 3rd and last action project I introduce to you "My solution to pollution". In this course we learned about the impact pollution has on yourself and the world around you. In this project we learned how much we and our neighborhood pollute. While we learned the impact and importance of pollution we also learned ways to improve our choices to decrease our carbon footprint and what actions we can take to decrease the global carbon ppm. One of the challenges I faced was balancing chemical bonds. Something that I am proud of is the knowledge I gained in terms of knowing how severe pollution really is.

U.S.A v.s Mongolia

This assignment was to compare America's similarities or differences of women inequality with any country you prefer. The purpose of this essay to open your eyes on how equality is a big challenge that should be taken seriously as it can effect in many other severe challenges. I was already socially aware I just learned statistics. I am mostly proud of the knowledge I gained through these inequalities women have to go through in their daily lives.

"Gender Equality." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, n.d. Web. 25 Oct. 2016.

Would you rather take a ride to America or Mongolia? The domestic violence to equal pay for women and marriage choices are things you might want to consider by answering my question. As a female, you might question these inequalities just to live a normal life unlike a male living with power by his gender and not by his character. America and Mongolian are far apart from distance but not from the achievement of goals. Mongolia and America are fighting for the equality as they have support systems and programs to help women have power in many categories as just equal payment, domestic violence, and marriage choices are just some.

America is one of the richest developed countries who also fight for the simplicity of equality. According to Soraya, Chemaly women experience partner violence 1 in 3. This might seem like a small number but compared to the male it is 1 in 7 who experience domestication. The equality in payment is also a struggle to have since we have decided as a society to pay women 77 cents for every dollar a male makes as Tanya Somander stated. No matter if you are struggling to make ends meat or got your own reputation in wealth you have to keep in mind a guy is still making more than you based on a gender knowing it wasn't’ your choice to be who you are physical. The marriage choice can be given by the law or by tradition. Many parents that came from very strict countries and come to America may follow the same lifestyle. Therefore we still have some marriage choices, not including America does give rights to marry whoever you want.

Mongolia unemployment of female in 2014 was 4.8% according to The World Bank. Knowing Mongolia is in between China and Russia you will think they are in a bad position on growth which there are obviously not. Mongolia marriage choices is not a big deal as America. They have the same freedom to marry on the law of being at least 18. The domestication of women in a form of rape or assault can be punished by imprisonment. Although there is no law specifically targeting the spousal rape. As NGOs said it is mostly under-reported.  

There are many differences and similarities between Mongolia and United States. Marriage choices, domestic violence, and equal payment are very similar but tackled differently in these two countries. Marriage choices are both on the same understatement of marrying whoever you want. The equal payment of women is the same in 77 cents for every dollar a man makes which is an unsatisfactory similarity. Domestic violence is still an unclear topic that has many cooperation helping this but never passed by a severe law. Mongolia has a lower rate of women labor force of 4.8% as U.S.A has 6%. That is the biggest difference they have rather than the different programs that help the women.

One thing Mongolia and U.S can feed off each other is spreading their cause to help a bigger audience. Instead of different cooperation make limited big companies have an easier resource to a support system. On making their country a better place their at the right path to have many organization to support these women in need. I found out how similar these both countries are in making a change.

Works Cited

"Unemployment, Female (% of Female Labor Force) (modeled ..." N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Oct. 2016.

Equality in Education

Equality in Education is a problem that should be taken seriously. Education is a basic need that should be provided everywhere and to everyone. As a person who cares about the society, we should guide the next generation to a pass of success.

According to United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization, 124 million children and adolescents are out of school. Based on UNESCO two-thirds of 774 million illiterate people in the world are female. This ties with the fact that if we provided equal education to girls as we do with boys our society would have less early age pregnancies and fewer malnutrition children according to UNESCO. Education is a basic need that should be fulfilled equally regardless of gender and economic status.

Without education, we would be a chaotic society in a way with no progress, skills, or sustainable to live.The equality in education would fall on basic need on Maslow's hierarchy. Without education, our society would not live a sustainable life, therefore, not move up the “stairs of a fulfilling life”.

A child's background plays a big role in the level of success they are given. According to APA, school systems in low SES communities have fewer resources; therefore, kids can't learn to their fullest potential, unlike High SES school. APA states knowing low SES communities aren't given enough resources it damages kids entering high school as they are 3.3-grade levels behind a high social economic status school.This states kids that have the opportunity in going to school still face with the inequality of the ability to learn their fullest potential as a child not being to go at all.

Everyone deserves to have a bright future. To the equality gender, social status or any other factors, we should grow as a society not be isolated in a group of limited success. That includes helping the young generation with any type of learning skill to help them grow to a better future. As Sonia Sotomayor said, “ Until we get equality in education, we won't have an equal society”.Based on the lack of equality in education; the lack being gender equality and economic status. By bringing light to this lack of equality I bring light to why everyone should have the equal education with the same resources.

@ImaginationSoup. "Preschool." Pinterest. N.p., n.d. Web. 07 Oct. 2016. 

Citations

" Out of School Children Data Release 2015 ." Out of School Children Data Release 2015. N.p., n.d. Web. 03 Oct. 2016.

“Girls Education - The Facts”, UNESCO, Oct. 2013

N.p., n.d. Web. 03 Oct. 2016

"Sonia Sotomayor Quote." A-Z Quotes. N.p., n.d. Web. 03 Oct. 2016.