Essay on Lies My Teacher Told Me Heroification - 821 Words

Ashley Walker Mr. Scott INTD 101-18: The Art of Seduction 29 September 2011 A False History James Loewen uses his piece Lies my Teacher Told Me to reveal the flaws in America’s mainstream textbooks. Loewen points out the fact that textbooks try to â€Å"indoctrinate blind patriotism† (Loewen 6) and â€Å"keep students in the dark about the nature of history† (Loewen 8). Almost every American textbook sells history using the â€Å"soft seduction† approach, as explained in Robert Greene’s book, The Art of Seduction. Textbooks try to seduce Americans into being proud of their country by making American historical figures look like heroes, like in the case of Helen Keller, Woodrow Wilson, and Christopher Columbus. â€Å"Heroification† (Loewen 11) has a†¦show more content†¦This educational movie leaves the important details of Helen Keller’s life because its goal is to make one feel uplifted instead of truly educating them, a tactic of Robert Greene’s soft seduction. A historical figure that has been as outstandingly misrepresented as Helen Keller is Woodrow Wilson. Like Keller, Wilson is only known for his positive contributions. When asked about Woodrow Wilson, most people can only recall his great accomplishments such as supporting Woman’s suffrage and establishing the League of Nations. It is not well known that Wilson invaded Latin America and Russia causing unnecessary violence. Loewen states that â€Å"Any accurate portrayal of the invasions could not possible show Wilson or the United States in a favorable light† (Loewen 17). Loewen explains that all textbooks have a way of defending Wilson by suggesting he was forced to do these unjust invasions. This is a characteristic of Greene’s soft seduction because the textbooks are presenting Wilson’s violent invasions in a â€Å"soft† way by being â€Å"indirect† (Greene 441) instead of saying that Wilson wanted to invade Latin America and Russia. This â€Å"heroification† of a past president is bad for students to learn because they grow up with a false history of their own country. A famous hero of American history with a story even more distorted than Helen Keller and Woodrow Wilson is Christopher Columbus. In almost every textbookShow MoreRelated Lies My Teacher Told Me by James W. Loewen Essay1948 Words   |  8 PagesLies My Teacher Told Me by James W. Loewen High school history textbooks are seen, by students, as presenting the last word on American History. Rarely, if ever, do they question what their text tells them about our collective past. According to James W. Loewens Lies My Teacher Told Me, they should be. Loewen has spent considerable time and effort reviewing history texts that were written for high school students. In Lies, he has reviewed twenty texts and has compared them to the actualRead More Lies My Teacher Told Me by James Loewen Essay example1439 Words   |  6 Pages James Loewen wrote the book ?Lies My Teacher Told ME? to help the students of the United States become aware of their true history. This book attempts to show how and why American history has been taught the way it has without regard for the truth. Mr. Loewen had compared twelve different history textbooks they are: The Great Republic, The American Way, Land of Promise, Rise of the American Nation, Challenge of Freedom, American Adventures, Discovering American History, The American TraditionRead MoreEssay about Analysis in James W. Loewen ´s Lies My Teacher Told Me1225 Words   |  5 Pages James W. Loewen wrote the book â€Å"Lies My Teacher Told Me† to help students understand the past of the United States, and how it is effecting the present time. â€Å"Lies My Teacher Told Me† looks at 12 different American history textbooks, and points out the different lies, flaws, and sugar coated stories the textbooks present. Lowen explains how textbooks practice hero ification, and how race and race relations are a major issue when it comes to American history. Among these topics, Lowen also shedsRead MoreWhy We Shouldnt Celebrate Columbus Day Essay1187 Words   |  5 Pagesdisregard his many crimes committed against humanity by intentionally omitting them, simultaneously magnifying his role as a great navigator. They glorify him and humanize him to induce readers to identify with him. This process is known as heroification (Loewen 9). Scientists and archeologists have proven Asian people traveled over the frozen land between Siberia and Alaska, approximately 15,000-25,000 years ago. These nomads continued moving all the way to South America. By the time EuropeansRead More The Power of Spike Lees Film, Malcolm X Essay2242 Words   |  9 Pagesusually found in only paragraphs. Even after his assassination, Malcolms detractors seek to keep him quiet. I visited my high school in Connecticut back in February, Black History Month, and asked my sister and her friends what they knew about Malcolm X. Those that knew anything replied that he hated white people and that he was assassinated. When I asked several history teachers about how Malcolm was taught, they admitted that he takes a back seat to Martin Luther King when the Civil Rights discussion

The Sun And My Son The Fanatic - 1876 Words

In â€Å"Men in the Sun† and â€Å"My Son the Fanatic†, both authors discuss the way in which a nostalgic relation to the past and the loss of one’s sense of self, as a result of being uprooted or displaced, lead to unsuccessful or poor assimilation to new communities. Ghassan Kanafani employs frequent flashbacks and shifts of narrative perspectives as formal mechanisms to reflect that people who either cling to or are troubled by their past always have great difficulty adjusting to a new way of life. Hanif Kureshi uses an extreme example with the reversal of roles played by father and son in an immigrant family. He argues that even when immigrants try to escape their past and start a new life, such attempts are often futile because of failure to†¦show more content†¦When Abu Qais was seeking help from Ustaz Selim in his own imagination he asks, â€Å"would you have been willing to carry all your years on your shoulder and flee across the desert to Kuwa it to find a crust of bread†? Since Ustaz Selim cannot possibly reply, this question actually demands Abu Qais’ own answer. Abu Qais certainly regards his yearning for old life as a responsibility that he feels obliged to maintain, to carry on his shoulder. He also thinks that fleeing to Kuwait is a gesture of betrayal from his past. And the sense of betrayal grows even more formidable as he realizes that the best outcome of his sacrifice is â€Å"a crust of bread†, which is barely an acceptable standard of living. Ruminating in the past makes it impossible for Abu Qais to construct a new identity and ultimately draws him to his old identity. When Abu Qais discusses with his wife, he says â€Å"(We’ll be able to) buy one or two olive shoots†¦ build a shack somewhere†¦ if I arrive†. At this time, Abu Qais realizes that moving forward is the only way to achieves his dream of returning to his shack and olive trees in his village. What’s more, Ghassan utilizes flashbacks not only to give the reader the backgrounds of the three main characters, but also to provide evidence for what traps them and motivates them to move forward. Among all of them, Abu Qais is the oldest character who clings to his past the most. It is clear how his obsessions to his past lead to his decision to move forward.Show MoreRelatedThe Social And Historical Context Of A Portrait Of The Artist As A Young Man And My Son1436 Words   |  6 Pagesthis essay response I shall discuss the social and historical context of A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man and My Son the Fanatic and how they enhance our understanding of the texts and then compare the two in their respective contexts. Religious extremism is a social ideology that is heavily implemented into both A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man and My Son the Fanatic. With Steven Dedalus being subjected to his traditional family views of Catholicism as was the author of A Portrait ofRead MoreA Good Man is Hard to Find by Flannery O ´Connor766 Words   |  4 PagesFlannery O’Connor: â€Å"A Good Man is Hard to Find† Flannery o Connor. Known as the southern United States, the second after Faulkner writer. A good man is hard to find the religious fable story, the story is very simple, an elderly woman with her son a family trip to Florida, due to the old woman wanted to see a supposed to be on the way but somehow thought in Tennessee plantation in Georgia, and the way for the old woman with a bad idea to turn over a car, then the escaped from prison that inappropriateRead MoreDescriptive Essay About My Day In My Life1392 Words   |  6 Pagesingredients in a hot stew called my body. Sweat rolled down my arm and joined the other beads of the salty liquid. Why was the sun blazing? What did I ever do to you sun? Is it because I haven’t been out in so long to see you? I closed my eyes for a moment, hoping the sun would relent its harsh heat after seeing me leaning against the steps in misery. As if feeling sorry for me, a heavenly wind came across me. Even the clouds pitied me as they moved in front of the sun. I savored it. That brief reliefRead MoreReasons for Plotting and Carrying Out a Rebellion1478 Words   |  6 Pagesfor plotting and carrying out a rebellion. One possible exception was the Confessions of Nat Turner, written down by the attorney Thomas R. Gray after he interviewed Turner in jail. Recent scholarship has demonstrated that Gray was the disinherited son of a wealthy father who may well have secretly sympathized with Turner on some level. Turners rebellion began with seven men who raided the farm of Joseph Travis and killed the entire family. Then the rebels travelled from house to house, killing everyRead MoreSeeking Good Council3703 Words   |  15 PagesRehoboam and Jeroboam A. Rehoboam and the division of Israel. 1. (1-5) the elders of Israel offer Rehoboam the throne of Israel. And Rehoboam went to Shechem, for all Israel had gone to Shechem to make him king. So it happened, when Jeroboam the son of Nebat heard it (he was still in Egypt, for he had fled from the presence of King Solomon and had been dwelling in Egypt), that they sent and called him. Then Jeroboam and the whole assembly of Israel came and spoke to Rehoboam, saying, Your fatherRead MoreThe Boxer Rebellion Was A Patriotic Movement Against Imperialism And Feudalism Essay2200 Words   |  9 Pagesâ€Å"The Boxer Rebellion was a patriotic movement against imperialism and feudalism.† The sound of my middle school history teacher’s emphasis on Boxer Rebellion before the exam still lingered around my ears, and it interested me to learn more about this subject. With more and more researches and readings, I found that multiple China’s religious beliefs were employed, including buddhism, taoism, and other pre-existing beliefs. The Boxers took advantage of innocent Chinese people b y manipulating theseRead MoreMy Senior Year Of High School2563 Words   |  11 PagesMy senior year of high school rolled around and I realized that I was in need of loosing weight. In stead of searching the next new diet plans or asking my friends what they thought, I just kind of used conmen sense. Finding foods with low calories, controlling how much I was eating and making sure I kept myself on a regular exercise plan. I figured since the most important meal of the day was breakfast, I needed to start there. I stopped eating my sugar cereals and went exclusively to eating oneRead MoreClose Encounters of the Third Kind: A Review Essay2664 Words   |  11 Pagesplanes and ships that were once considered missing showing up in random areas of the world. Nearys obsession eventually puts him in contact with others who have had close encounters with alien spacecraft, including Gillian, a single mother whose son Barry (Cary Guffy) disappears during her second UFO experience, and Claude Lacombe, a French researcher who believes that we can use a musical language to communicate with alien visitors. Lacombes theory is put to the test when a band of governmentRead MoreGandhi vs Genghis Khan2439 Words   |  10 Pagesthey saw the writing on the wall, and initiated a number of constitutional moves to effect the transfer of power to the sovereign State of India. For the first and perhaps the only time in history, the power of a mighty global empire on which the sun never set, had been challenged and overcome by the moral might of a people armed only with ideals and courage. The Cabinet Mission sent by the British government proposed for the bifurcation of India along communal lines which Gandhi vehemently protestedRead MoreEssay on The Life of Adolf Hitler2073 Words   |  9 Pagesable to get a small sense of freedom and self-independence when he entered Volksshule. According to his classmates, Hitler was very smart and excelled in academics. â€Å"Schoolwork was ridiculously easy, leaving me so much free time that the sun saw more of me than my room.† (Ayer 16). His teacher also noticed his alertness and his organization. At the age of eleven he had to choose between Realschule and the gymnasium. The gymnasium was a secondary school that focused more on the arts and preparing students

Khair Mundos and His Source of Funding free essay sample

PROFILE OF KHAIR MUNDOS [pic] PERSONAL BACKGROUND: Name : Khair Mohammad Noor Mundos Alias : Abu Ayman Nationality : Filipino Tribe : Samal bangingi Age : 45 up Height : 5’4 Weight : 160 lbs. Hair : baldy Built : medium/ athletic Complexion : fair Status : married Address : Kaum Purnah, Isabela, Basilan Province Affiliation : Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) Other Relevant Informaton: Khair Mohammad Noor Mundos is a high ranking leader of the Abu Sayyaf Group form Kaum Purnah, Isabela, Basilan but the family originally came from Lukbuton in the island of Malamawi. He is known in the organization as Abo Ayman, an alias given to him by ASG Founder Abdurajak Janjalani. Mundos started to become islamically radicalized in the 80s when he studied Arabic at Mahad Basilan Al-Arabie Al-Islamie, the first and oldest Arabic institution in Basilan established by the Egyptian missionaries from the Al-Azhar University in Cairo assigned to preach Islam in Southern Philippines. He was one of the organizers of the Tableegh group which as organized by Janjalani in the 80s in support of the MNLF struggle for an independent state in Mindanao. It was the Tableegh group that initiated the religious programs within the Moro National Liberaton Front (MNLF). Some of the officers of the Tableegh group joined the armed forces of the MNLF and rose to power in the organization such as Ustadz Basiri Jailani who later became the NASCOM chief and then Deputy Chief of Staff. With the advice from ASG Founder Abdurajak Janjalani, Mundos went to Saudi Arabia to work at the same time to help organize a support base in the kingdom for the Abu Sayyaf Group. Mundos assisted Hadji Hasan Jalmaani, a senior member of the group whom Janjalani entrusted the collection of financial support for the Abu Sayyaf in the Middle East with focus on Saudi Arabia. His stay in Saudi Arabia made him work closer with other jihadists which included Mohammad Jamal Khalifa, Abu Abdulla Qassamollah, and Mohammad Saleh Shugair. He collected annual zakat from the Muslim Filipino workers abroad and monthly contributions and other donations to finance the struggle of the Abu Sayyaf Group. INVOLVEMENT IN TERRORISTIC ACTIVITIES OF THE ABU SAYYAF GROUP Mundos played a vital role in the financing of the Abu Sayyaf Group since its beginning when ASG founding leader Ustadz Abdurajak Janjalani started to organize his followers in Basilan, Zamboanga and Sulu in the early 90s until the leadership of Khadaffy and up to the present. The presence of Mundos in Saudi Arabia until 2004 when he was arrested brought millions of money to the funds of the Abu Sayyaf Group. Like Hadji Hasan Jalmaani, the ASG acknowledges his active involvement in the financing of the group, establishing connections with institutions in Saudi Arabia and with wealthy individuals who were supportive of jihad. Mundos was responsible in transferring huge amount of money to his younger brother Borhan, who was then the director of Safinatun Najah Inc. (Ship of Salvation). The younger brother masterminded the series of bombings in Mindanao beginning 2001 that included the bombing of Constar Lodge in General Santos City in July 2001, the bombing of Fitmart Mall in April 2002 and other major bombings that resulted in the deaths of several hundreds of innocent civilians. It was Khair Mundos who coordinated with the arab financiers in Saudi Arabia for the funding of ASG operations in the Philippines while the younger Mundos supervises the bombers in the actual conduct and execution of the bombings. Khair Mundos also played a major role in the propaganda of the organization, convincing arab brothers in the Middle East to send their support t their mujahideen brothers in the Philipines. For several times, Mundos travelled to the Philippines to accompany arab jihadists who desired to see the ASG founding leader Abdurajak Janjalani in person. Among those whom he escorted to Basilan was a certain â€Å"Qassamollah† who came to the country to personally meet Janjalani and vowed to send financial assistance to the latter’s group. During the said trip, Qassamollah brought along him other companions, one of them was allegedly a son of a wealthy general of the kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Before his arrest in Manila in 2004, Mundos was believed to have established good networking with his arab brothers in Saudi Arabia. His arrest by Philippine authorties in the Philippines for his involvement in financing various bombing operations of the Abu Sayyaf Group, was a big blow to the organization in terms of financing. However, his escape from the Provincial jail of Kidapawan in 2007 made a big difference and boosted the morale of his comrades who welcomed his return. He was immediately recognized as one of the highly-respected leaders of the Abu Sayyaf in Basilan. As the new leader of the Basilan-based Abu Sayyaf, he led several attacks on government troops, recruited more members, and brought more money to the group through the several kidnappings they conducted in Zamboanga and Basilan. A number of public school teachers were kidnapped by Mundos’ group in Zamboanga and Basilan, mostly released after payment of illions of money by the relatives and politicians. His present leadership gave hope to the hearts of the ASG inmates detained in the different detention facilities in the country, particularly in Metro Manila and Basilan. He had committed himself to helping his detained comrades financially and legally. He also vowed to rescue ASG members detained in the provincial jail of Basilan, particularly his close friend Ashraf Kunting, also known as Abo Ramadhan, a top ranking senior leader of the Abu Sayyaf. Abo Ramadhan is a vey important person to the Abu Sayyaf for his active role in sending in millions of money to the group of Khadaffy Janjalani and establishing contacts with financiers in Malaysia. Said person almost succeed in putting up an office for Alharakatul Islamiyyah in Malaysia through the help of government people particularly Senator Sairin. It was also Abo Ramadhan who almost succeeded in transporting large quantity of high powered firearms from Thailand and Malaysia. However, the pressure on the Malaysian government from the American government resulted in the arrest of Abo Ramadhan in Malaysia in 2001 and his deportation to the Philippines to face criminal charges in the country. Both Kunting and Mundos were held together for a long time in one detention facility in Camp Crame. Presently, Kunting is detained in the provincial jail of Basilan where he faces charges for his involvement in the Dos Palmas hostage taking. Aside from Abo Ramadhan, other detained senior leaders of the Abu Sayyaf are hopeful that Mundos will continue to

Prostetic Limbs Essays - Neuroprosthetics, Biological Engineering

Prostetic Limbs In 1985 the movie going community was enthralled with its newest hit movie titled Short Circuit. The movie portrayed a robot that due to accidental electrocution believed that it was alive. In the final scenes the robot know as Johnny five was seen removing one of its damaged robotic arms and replacing it with a new and identical arm. This idea of replacing one limb with another of equal function was unfortunately only movie fiction. This fiction however is quickly becoming a reality for countless thousands of people living with prosthetic limbs. In the October 1998 issue of Scientific American the story of Melissa Del Pozzo a thirteen year old girl living with a prosthetic limb gives an example of the hope many are living with. Her only dream is that she could one day tickle the ivories of her piano again. Her hope could soon be rewarded. With continued research, prosthesiss are making advancements that were once only dreams. These advancements are seeing the most change in the area s of dexterous movement, feeling, and comfort. The first area that we see monumental change is in the ability for dexterous movement. The greatest development in this area is found in the Free-hand system developed by the Neuro-Control Corp. The January 1998 issue of FDA consumer outlines the workings of this system. First, the external Shoulder Position Sensor translates shoulder movements into electronic signals. The signals then travel to the External Controller for processing, and then to the external Transmitting Coil for relay to the Implanted Stimulator, which sends electrical stimulation along implanted Electrode Leads to implanted Electrodes in prosthetic hand, making them contract. With the use of this system amputees are again able to perform tasks were once impossible. The only problem with this system as pointed out in the September 13th issue of people magazine is that each unit costs about $50,000 an amount which most insurance companies are unwilling to fork out. The hand is also becoming more advanced with a system discussed in the January 1998 issue of Tech Directions. This system, know as Sabolich's Sense of Feel System, uses a cuff attached to the remaining portion of the limb. Over time a user is able to recognize exactly how much pressure they are using. This system differs form earlier ones in which judgement was based simply on sight, which is not very accurate. By using this system, amputees are able to hold their childs hand or pick up an egg without the fear of crushing them. Both the Free-Hand system and Sabloichs sense of feel system are helping amputees feel their way towards a better quality of life. Using these systems, they are moving away from the dreaded metal hook and into the technological world they live in. Although some feeling is addressed in the first point, we must next examine the advancement in sensory receptors which aide to the feelings experienced by amputees. The prosthetic limb has seen great advancement in feel and function but one of the greatest advancements is a system developed by John Sabolich, NovaCare's national prosthetic director. The myo-electric prosthesis with hot and cold sensory receptors described in the April 3, 1998 issue of Philadelphia Business Journal provides one of the unique advancements of the last decade. The system involves temperature sensors, placed in a prosthetic foot or hand that send signals to a computerized advanced circuitry system. Those signals are sent to electrodes on the skin in a person's residual limb. The natural skin receptors send information to the brain, where the sensation is registered. One patient said that he could again feel the warmth of his grandsons hand and could feel the warmth of his wifes face. In a recent article titled, How computers help artificial limbs get smarter found in the August 14th edition of the Wall Street Journal eastern edition, Sabolichs use of pressure sensors in artificial feet is explored. To create an awareness of pressure, Sabolich places pressure transducers in the toes and heels of artificial feet. The greater the surface pressure against them, the larger the signal sent on to electrodes that touch the existing portion of a person's leg. Signals from the front and back of the