Hey! My name is Derek Cooper I am 18 years old. I am
a freshman and plan on majoring in Nursing. I am from south eastern Kentucky,
Corbin to be exact. I really did not
expect the class to be like it was. I had never had an English class like that
before. I am really glad that it was more history based than anything else. I
enjoyed the readings and didn’t care to write papers over them because they
were very short and easy to write. All in all, good class.
Government is
something that is required for a country, state, city, etc. to survive. Without
a government, there would be total chaos. Everyone has a different idea as to
what would make a great government. I
think that an ideal government would be one that has the majority of its citizens
participating in it. If the government allows the majority of citizens to then
they will form the government to what they want it to be. Instead of allowing a
small group of people decide everything for a certain area, everyone should have
a say in it. This being said, I think that it is very important for a citizen
to vote. If you don’t vote or participate in your government, then why should
you have your rights as a citizen? Voting is your way of choosing how you would
like your government to be ran. “That to secure theses rights, Governments are
instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the
governed” (Jefferson 80).
Wealth and
poverty is and will always be a very sensitive subject among most people in
society today. I do not think that we will ever be able to close the gap
between the two. I don’t really think that anything would change if the gap was
closed because the majority of the rich will always think that they are better
than those with less money than them. I will always believe that it is
important to give to the poor. I believe that those with more money should
always help those in need and that the government should help them too. Galbraith states that “People are poverty-stricken when
their income, even if adequate for survival, falls radically behind that of the
community.” (Galbraith, 413)
In my mind, I believe that justice
is giving a person or a group of people what they rightfully deserve. I know
for a fact that there are countless injustices that occur in the world
now-a-days and countless ones that have happened in the past. Injustices will
continue to occur because of how much governments and people change. King says,
“Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere” (214). One injustice
that occurs more often than not is when people are accused for crimes they did
not commit and are placed on death row. These people are later proved innocent
and yet, they remain on death row and still get killed just because. These are
an injustice because these people really did not commit any crime, and often
have nothing to do with one, yet they are killed just because they are already
on death row. Thoreau says, “Unjust laws exist: shall we be content to obey
them, or shall we endeavor to amend them and obey them until we have succeeded,
or shall we transgress them at once” (184). I do not fight injustice as of
right now, because there is nothing currently going on that I believe is
unjust. I have fought for things I believe in before, just not currently.
Ethics
and morality go hand-in-hand with religion, most of the time. More often than
not, the morals that a human abides by is based on his or her religion. If
their religion says that it is okay to cut the hand of someone that steals,
then they believe that they are morally obligated to believe that too. Or if
their religion says that it is morally okay to stone someone to death for their
wrong doing, then this person or group of people will believe that it is okay
too. I believe that if someone uses their morals in a positive way, then they
are ethical. Ethics are how a person uses their morals in their everyday lives.
I believe that we can have ethical/moral behavior without religion. I think
that everyone is born with a certain set of morals (do not kill, do not steal,
etc.) and if someone abides by these morals then they are ethical people
therefore they behave ethically and morally without the impact of religion. I
believe that one’s happiness corresponds with their state of mind. If one likes
with their life and the way things are going, then they are happy.
To be an individual you have to have
your own set of personal thoughts and beliefs. Each and every individual person
plays a very important role in society. I believe that an individual has an
obligation to participate in their government. I see myself as an individual because
I rely on myself and I feel as if I am my own person and can think for myself.
I contribute to my society by starting to vote since I just turned 18 in the
summer and I feel like that is the main role that anyone should have. Cultural
differences affect one’s individuality and their role in society because other
countries may have different belief than mine. Some countries may believe that
a person can best contribute to society by joining the military. Everyone has
different beliefs.
This class was completely different than
I expected, however, I really liked it. I really didn’t expect to enjoy any of
the readings and I assumed that they would be boring but I liked the majority
of them. I think that having to write all of the papers that we did will help
prepare me for future English classes and others that require papers. I liked
this English class more than I liked those that I took in high school. The only
thing that I would change would be assigning only one reading response per week
instead of 2-3. I really enjoyed the class and thought that Mrs. Benningfield
was a very good professor.
Works cited:
http://www.benreed.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/injustice.jpg
Jefferson, Thomas. “Declaration of
Independence.” Ed. Lee Jacobus. World of Ideas. New York: Bedford St.
Martin’s Press, 2000. 77-83. Print.
King, Martin Luther. “Letter
from Birmingham Jail.” Ed. Lee Jacobus. World of Ideas. New York:
Bedford St. Martin’s Press, 2000. 211-231. Print
Galbraith, John Kenneth. "The Position of Poverty." Ed. Lee
Jacobus. A World of Ideas: Essential
Readings for College Writers. Boston: Bedford/St. Martins, 2010.405-414. Print.
Readings for College Writers. Boston: Bedford/St. Martins, 2010.405-414. Print.
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