Bryan Stevenson11/21/2019 I think Bryan Stevenson's speech is the best speech I've ever been to. It was so great how he uses his own experiences and stories to tell us how to make a change regarding justice. I especially agreed on his argument that in order to truly solve the current mass incarceration problem, we need to "get closer"- get closer to those falsely convicted and imprisoned. Just like what he said, politics sometimes fail to solve these problems because it is too far away. It reminds me of my own experience: before reading Just Mercy, I really supported the death penalty because I strongly believed that if you do something extremely bad, you need to pay for it. Back then, I had little understanding of the negative sides of it. After I read the book, I was surprised to find that my opinion changed as I learned more and more personal stories about the wrongfully convicted individuals. I also understood that the justice system isn't perfect at all. Sometimes, even when the person commits the crime, he or she might be given harsher sentences based on race or economic status. I started to think about what Bryan Stevenson said in so many speeches- sometimes, instead of thinking if the person deserves to die, we need to think about whether we deserve to kill. I think by reading the book, I now am "getting closer" to the experience of convicted people.
About the connection between human rights and justice, I believe they are the same thing. When true justice exists, it is humane. Sometimes people only see one-sided justice, which is not humane. For example, murder is not justice as it harms individuals, which is a human rights violation. However, over-sentencing and mass incarceration are not justice either because the prisoners are human, so they deserve to have human rights. One of Bryan Steenson's story really proved to me the extremely fragile and humane side of one of the prisoners. He talked about a young man who really wanted a chocolate milkshake. It was really touching because usually, people don't and not willing to think about this side of the convicted. Therefore, they let their chosen ignorance to lead their judgment. However, it is only when people put human rights and justice together that they can see both sides of the coin. The justice system, especially, the due process system, is designed to be humane. Although there's still a lot of injustice happening right now, Bryan Stevenson told us to stay hopeful, and he is a good example. He didn't give up when he struggled with getting government funds; he didn't give up when one of the lawyers left his office; he stayed hopeful even after seeing his clients getting executed. He told us that we should "fight against things make us hopeless," which I think is a good point. Just a few days ago, Rodney Reed's case showed that there's hope. I think it has a great connection to Just Mercy, sad yet hopeful. I genuinely appreciate what Bryan Stevenson is trying to do because I can't imagine the hardship he has to go through. He reminds me of a public defender that I met. When I asked him what the feeling of representing what the society called "bad people" is, he said that he just follow the constitution. Overall I think this is a great event that is both powerful and insightful. His speech, combined with Just Mercy, changed a lot of my perspectives and really made me learn a lot.
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A Dong Market11/21/2019 Having a store like A Dong plays a positive role in my life, personally. The store has a lot of Asian/Chinese food that I used to eat back in China, so it is quite great to get them here as well because it sometimes can remind me of my childhood and happy time. I was even able to find snacks that were stopped selling in China. While I lived in an American host family, instant noodles in A Dong market was a luxurious meal for me- the spices and flavor were so different from those of American food. I used to go to the A Dong market once every three months or so and bought snacks for the coming three months. It was great to treat myself with an Asian snack after finishing homework.
I believe the most important aspects of my culture that I shared are: first, a lot of things we eat, like dumplings and hot pot, we eat with our family members. It is a tradition to eat dumplings on Chinese New Year as a family. Second, I told American students that the store doesn’t really represent Chinese supermarkets now. A Dong is more like a Chinese supermarket 20 years ago. Now the markets in cities are way more organized and fancy. I wish I could better explain the types of desserts in the frozen area because they really taste good. However, I was not able to introduce them to English because I don’t know how to translate some materials into the food. I learned from American students that some of them actually know about Asian snacks. I was surprised when they told me their own opinions on particular snacks. I think snack is a good start for American students to learn Asian/Chinese food. Dorje's Presentation11/7/2019 I really like Dorje Dolma’s presentation. I was especially intrigued by her childhood life (the part where she chased the snow leopard) and her success in writing and art. I find it’s really cool how the interaction with nature and her memory of home & culture reflect in her artwork as she kept learning art in the United States. Also, I feel that she is such a brave girl that even though she lived in such a tough condition with her disease and the outside environment, she still actively sought for help. Specifically, I was quite shocked when she used all her courage to ask a white woman if she could go to school, knowing that it was her only hope. Dorje was also very lucky, as well. Thanks to the doctor who found her back problem, she was able to come to the U.S. and become the person she is today. Dorje’s culture is very interesting. Although in the same country, the village she lived in still had a very different dynamic than that of the capital, Kathmandu. Being in the city was a challenge for her, and I believe coming to the United States was a big transition as well. Though living in a remote place, Dorje’s parents were quite open-minded in a way that they let two of their children out of the country. Maybe they loved them so much that they only wished the best of them.
There are many similarities and differences between Dorje and Lia Lee. They were both from extremely remote areas in Asia where the technology and medicine were in shortage. However, they were both fortunate enough to come to the U.S., where they could receive sanctuary for different reasons. Both of their cultures practice traditional medicine, which combined religion, herbs and spirits together. They also had severe diseases that made their lives, and their parents’ lives difficult. Fortunately, both of their parents loved them so much. For the difference, the most obvious one was that Dorje finally survived the battle with the disease. But Lia Lee, on the other hand, did not. Maybe it had something to do with the parents’ attitudes towards Western medicine and the medical system. Although they are both from remote areas, I personally feel that Dorje is more fortunate than Lia Lee because she did not experience the cruelty of the war and its impact. She also received help from so many people whom Lia Lee did not get the chance to. However, Lia Lee was able to stay with her family while in the U.S, but Dorje did not. Culture breakers helped Dorje a lot through her journey. At first, the people in the soup kitchen gave her the hope that she never experienced before. The doctors also helped her brother with his disease, which lessen the burden of her family and made her trust the Western world even more. Being a brave girl, Dorje also created herself opportunities to be seen by people, which makes her her own culture breaker too. She was able to bear the pain of separation from her family in order to find a cure for her disease. She actively learned English and adapted to the Western way of living. Dorje’s parents acted as culture breakers, too, especially Dorje’s father. Being a traditional healer, he was able to see the flaws of traditional medicine and tell the patients to use Western medicine. Perhaps open-minded actions like this allowed Dorje’s parents to fully understand the need for their daughter to go to the U.S. |