EPT Essay

EPT Essay

We as people tend to admire and follow other people who live a life we won’t ever get to live.  We look up to the ones with wealth, beauty and other riches we don’t possess.

I ask myself why doesn’t Kim kardashian for example look up to any of the people i come from. It’s maybe because we are not "interesting" enough or maybe simply because we are poor. She might think we don’t have anything to offer.  If you were to ask anyone in my community or even my generation they would all know who Kim kardashian is, they would start talking about how wealthy she is or how stunning she looks there would be so many comments positive or negative about her.

The rich and famous rarely ever do anything for the people. They don’t look up to us yet we see them as leaders, idols and people we one day want to become. What have they ever done for us? They don’t treat us like prizes. We give all our attention on those who don’t deserve it.
We tend to ignore the people in our own shoes. There are people who are the real leaders and heroes in our community.

In this passage it states "we tend to regard the success of people at hand, within our own small group, as a threat" this quotes stands out to me because we as a community recognize someone’s success yet we see them as a threat as if they are better than us. We don’t like to see people in the same situation as ourselves and see them rise while we fail if one fails everyone around them must fail as well like that saying " misery loves company" as soon as we see someone doing better we quickly start to judge and envy. We shouldn’t stop these people from trying we should be upset at ourselves for doing anything ourselves. We praise people in this world who don’t deserve it. We need to start valuing and supporting the real leaders of this world. Our society and mentality is so messed up in the head its crazy, a change needs to be done and we need to do it now.

MLA Citation

The Autobiography of Martin Luther King Jr.

King, Martin Luther, and Clayborne Carson. The Autobiography of Martin Luther King Jr. New York: Intellectual Properties Management in Association with Warner, 1998. Print.

1. “A man who won't die for something is not fit to live.” 

I find this quote to be meaningful because it describes and sums up the thoughts of people. I think that in life you have to live and in order to really live you have to be willing to die for something you truly love and care about. We see it every day, parents willing to give up their lives for their children, soldiers sacrificing their lives to fight for everyone else’s freedom. This quote really captures that idea of being willing to die for something because what kind of life would it be if you die for nothing? You do not want to die in vain; you want it to mean something.

2. “There is nothing more majestic than the determined courage of individuals willing to suffer and sacrifice for their freedom and dignity.” 

This quote stood out to me and I found it interesting because it ties into the first quote. I think that individuals who are willing to sacrifice themselves for others are very noble. I think that throughout history we have learned about people and groups of people who sacrifice their lives for the greater good, whether it be for their families or to survive and sometimes it may have been a long battle, but we don’t take these liberties for granted. For example, when I read this quote I thought about soldiers who go into battle sacrificing and giving up their freedom to do what is needed to protect their families and the people of their country. I also thought about slaves and how they endured so much and were mistreated and it only raised awareness to the cruelties to that treatment. It takes courage to put your pride and dignity aside to fight for others and protect people. Giving up your freedom so others have a chance at it; that is truly selfless.

3. “I guess one of the great agonies of life is that we are constantly trying to finish that which is unfinishable” 

This quote stood out to me because I thought about how in life or in general the fight or road to success may seem so long and far away that no matter how much closer you think you are at approaching that goal it just pulls away from you. That is a great agony to work towards and for something that seems so unfinishable, it can be compared to the fight to end slavery; I bet many people then did not expect that fight to be over, but years later it happened, as well as segregation and equal rights to vote and marry. Those are battles and wars long fought and sometimes others who have fought for those things may not reap the benefits of it, those who get to experience it should cherish it because there are others who died before seeing these things happen. The thing to take away from this quote is a life lesson to not give up and to continue fighting the good fight. 

Nuremberg Trials

Nuremberg Trials

            Adolf Hitler grew to power in Germany, started the Nazi race and army and had a view of a perfect race that consisted of blue eyed blonde haired people.  Hiltler used the Jewish people as a scapegoat and told all Germany that Jewish people were responsible for all their problems. They captured all the Jews, put them into concentration camps and then killed all of them.  Hitler turned all the Germans against the Jews, causing all Jews to suffer.  They got their homes and goods taken over, got stuck into living in Jewish ghettos; with no food or clothing, forcing them into concentration camps, killing them one by one or stuffing them in gas chambers, and burning them alive.  These people did not deserve to die they were used as scapegoats and were killed for simply being victims of a horrible lie.

            After World War II, the German people who stood alongside Hitler were the cause of 6 million deaths or mass murders.  They were known as the Nazis who were condemned to death on their acts of war crimes.  In "The Arrogance and Cruelty of Power" by Robert H. Jackson, it stated in the Nuremberg trials of November 21, 1945 that, "such evils must never be repeated".  I agree with this quote because never should someone be killed based on their religious beliefs. Millions of innocent Jews were persecuted in the holocaust for simply being Jewish and having different opinions and beliefs compared to Hitler and we need to be aware of such tragedy so that it never again occurs in history. 

             Robert H. Jackson also states, "The things the Nazis did to the innocent is intolerable, it can not be ignored or covered up. What they did is morally inhumane and which consequences they must pay on major war crimes".  This quotes stands out because people should be held liable for their actions no matter whose orders it is under or the situation.  If a man killed there is a price they must pay like Hammurabi's code "an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth".  No one’s death should go unforgotten or unnoticed, it is not right to kill a human being for evil and supporting it.  Innocent people did not deserve to die for one man’s beliefs.

            The Nazis could have done something to stop the horrible acts of torture ordered by Hitler.  Instead, the Nazis let it happen, not only allowed it but supported it as well.  I believe that is the biggest crime anyone can commit; letting evil take a hold of one and letting it take over and consume you.  I am sure there were some Germans who just went allowing with the crowd, but for the ones who knew the wrongfulness of their deeds I hope they paid for the pain they caused.  I am glad some Germans did have some dignity and humanity and tried to save Jews from the horrible Nazis. 

autobiography

English 11

Period 1

October 2, 2014

Autobiography

I am Liliana Madrigal, I’m currently 16 years old and my birthday is on February 4^th.  I have 2 older brothers and 1 older sister; making me the baby.  I’ve never lived anywhere else other than Los Angeles.  I currently reside in South Los Angeles, also known as South LA.  

I remember when I was 8 years old, my sister and I were in our room when we heard gun shots being fired.  A few seconds later we heard a young woman screaming out, “Help, please anyone help!” and when we went outside, we could see that the young woman was on the street floor holding one of my neighbor’s  hand while my other neighbor contacted the police.  Personally, growing up in South LA hasn’t been as frightening and vicious as everyone portrays it to be.  Yes, it isn’t the safest and most practical of neighborhoods, but I’ve always grown up knowing and having this mentality.  

I’ve always believed that the people you associate with define and reflect the type of person you are to society.  So, growing up I never quite misbehaved.  Yes, I’ve lied and yes I’ve done things that I shouldn’t have done, but I’m thankful that I did do those things.  Thanks to all those past experiences I was able to learn valuable life-long lessons.  I was able to find out who I was, what I love doing, what my passions and interests were and what I want to do with my life.  I also learned a valuable lesson on who I want to associate myself with and who I want to dedicate my time to.  

I’ve always been the type of person who always daydreamed about the future and tries to see the different ways life can play out; you would think I would be one of those people who try to be so perfect that their future can turn out just the way they planned it, but unfortunately, I was the complete opposite.  I was so stuck thinking in the future and what my future could possibly be like that I was forgetting about the present.  

Last academic school year, was a very rough year for me, but it was also a very good one as well.  I hit the lowest point I could’ve ever hit,  it was rock bottom.  I completely shut down; I stopped caring about everything that had to do with school.  It’s like that saying goes, “our greatest glory is not ever falling but in rising every time we fall”.  Since I was able to see myself at my lowest point, I was determined to make an effort to succeed and end the year off, strong.  I’ve noticed now that I’m a lot different than the person I was before.  I’m very well aware of how easy it is to just fall behind and simply give up, but the self-satisfaction of trying and achieving goals is a feeling that makes trying all worth it.  I feel as if I’m finally on the right path in where I need to be, to do what I need to do in order to be ready and get high school over with.  

What Is An American

English 11

Period 1         

October 21, 2014

What it means to be an American

In my opinion, an American doesn’t have one set definition; an American can be seen and described from so many different perspectives.  For me, to define an American by one set definition is impossible.  I don’t have one single way on viewing an American, but other people have their own perspectives and views.

From an immigrant’s standpoint, to truly be an American means to be free.  We are all treated equally no matter what color skin we might have, and it doesn't matter what culture we come from.  America itself is seen as one giant melting pot.  There are people from everywhere around the world, with different cultures, different customs, but when they come to America, we all become one, one nation.  America is seen as the land of opportunity, a new life style.  People all over the world wished they had a small sum of what we Americans are given, especially birth given rights such as human rights.

For a Patriotic American, the true definition of being an American is to be prideful.  An American is willing to stand, defend and fight for our country, with their blood, sweat and tears even if our country is in the wrong.  To be a true American means you are willing to give your own life for this country without hesitation or second thoughts.  An American is a hero, a savior, a brave man or woman who is willing to stand up for what is believed to be right.

From an outsider’s perspective, someone who detests Americans, being an American means being a monster.  There are people in this world who wish death on us simply because we are American; not for certain views we have on topics and not even because of the color of our skin or religion, but simply because we are American.  These people see us as a threat because our dear country has done something to upset them whether it was killing one of their family members, destroying their homes, or accusing them of wrongful deeds they did not commit.  In their eyes an American is a horrible monster set out to destroy and hurt anything in its path. To these outsiders, they see Americans as heartless, selfish, inhumane people who cause chaos and destruction wherever we go.

For an American who is well aware of the corruption in our government, being an American is nothing to be proud of especially when our own country uses the innocent act of patriotism from our citizens to carry out their own dirty work.  For example, our troops; the patriotic men and women defending and risking their lives for a country they hold in such high esteem that does nothing but abuses and manipulates them.  They truthfully do not know the real reasons as to why they are sent to battle, they are told one thing they believe to be the truth while the real truth can be far from it.  The harsh reality is that sometimes our government twists the truth, just to get what they want.  We Americans are set up to believe that America is always in the right and that we are heroes, but what about other countries and their perspectives?  We're seen as mass murderers willing to stop at nothing until we get what we want.  We Americans do not have a single clue about what is really going on in our own government.  To be an American simply means stepping over people, doing what needs to be done, lying, cheating and omitting truths so long as it benefits us or the government and it does not matter who we hurt in the process. 

To a simple outsider who as heard several stereotypes about us Americans; an American is uneducated and lazy.  We are seen as arrogant, selfish people stomping over everyone else. We are also seen as materialistic, violent and self-centered people.  Americans have no limits that we take what we want and sometimes we take the things we are given for granted.  To an outsider, Americans do not know how to appreciate the liberties we are given because other countries would do anything to have the liberties we have.  There are so many stereotypes about us Americans however at the same time one stereotype does not define us all.  The same can be said of other countries as well, it all depends on who is saying it and what made them say that; like most stereotypes, they are made and brought to attention based on assumption.  The thing to take away from an outsider’s standpoint is to not believe everything you hear. 

We as people are all different.  We should not be categorized as something we are not because of where we come from.  We define ourselves; our country of origin has nothing to do with it.  We are who we are because we chose to be a certain way.  If you choose to judge, judge the country and its system, do not judge the people who just so happened to be born into and come into life there.  We do not choose the life we want, but we can make the best of the life that we are given.