A Dream Come True

Martin Luther King’s I have a Dream speech is recognized as one of the famous speeches in American history. Over hundred thousands of African American and other Americans gathered in Washington, Dc. on August 1963; it was time for injustice to end. Dr. Martin Luther King amazed America with his incredible “I Have a Dream” speech. The end of injustice began as Dr. King dramatically delivered front of the Lincoln memorial. The key message in the speech is that all people are created equal and, although not the case in America at the time, King felt it must be the case for the future. He argued passionately and powerfully.

The location of where the speech was given made it more special and deeply. The speech was given in the nation’s capital and front of Lincoln Memorial Washington, DC so that the eyes of America and the world could witness it. The symbolism of Dr. King standing in front of Abraham Lincoln’s statue as Lincoln watches not only him but the millions that have descended upon his monument sends chills down my spine every time I see it. There is a sense of Lincoln keeping a watchful eye on Dr. King as he delivers his epic speech. This image of Dr. King standing in front of Lincoln is why the speech is heightened. Abraham Lincoln was a man who freed the slaves. It was Lincoln who brought this country out of the hell that was the civil war and help to being its healing. It was he who signed the emancipation proclamation that ended slavery and gave African-Americans freedom for the first time in this country. It was Lincoln who spoke so greatly of the black soldiers fighting in the civil war for not only their freedom but freedom for future generations. It was Lincoln who showed strength in dealing with the issue of slaver after the founding fathers had kicked the issue down the road for future generations to deal with. Lincoln kept our country together and helped in the creation of a new more free country after the civil war. Unfortunately he died at the hands of an assassin and never got to see the country he helped save or help in its rebuilding. Now sadly one hundred years later the ground work for freedom Lincoln had laid out was still unfinished. Now as his monument stands tall and watches the horizon, his spirit will witness the cry for freedom one more time as Dr. King delivers his speech.

A different location would not have had the same effect. Now the speech holds its own ground, it is so powerful no matter where it is delivered from. The Lincoln monument is important due to the history of Lincoln and what he did. As Dr. King says in his speech about one hundred years ago the man behind him gave slaves freedom yet still now a hundred years later African-Americans in the country are not free. These words were elevated from the presence of Abraham Lincoln. The location is just as important as the speech itself. The “I have a dream” speech is a speech that inspires change. Martin Luther King hopes for a day where little black and white boy/girl could sit in the same class. He hopes for a new day in America. He wants a country that lives up to its ideals that every man is free and is endowed with certain unalienable rights that cannot be taken away. He hopes that the American dream can be achieved by anybody no matter what their color is. He dreams of a free and united America. This dream of his would fully come true. It is in his memory and other civil rights workers that we celebrate the freedom that has come to all of us and we fight to continue this dream.

Overcoming My Fear

Language is the symbol we use in order to communicate with one another; it is the expression that human communication through knowledge, idea, and performance can be experienced. Animal and even plant species could communicate each other. As for human species, language is the power which allowed us to be a dominant species on earth. Languages come in many shapes and sounds. At the same time, Language is a physical process and a way of sharing meaning among people. We all learn different language, but there is something profoundly mysterious about language even though we can learn to use it.

When I first moved to the states, I knew little English to use for daily life. That was my struggle when I started middle school at the age of twelve. Entering eighth grade was intense and terrified me, because of a new school, new culture, and new language. It was tough for me to adapt to the new world, everything was strange and mysterious to me. This was a new beginning for my future and biggest challenge that I had to face from that day on. The first day of school was something that still sticks with me till this day. Here I was about to embark on my new life. As I entered school, I grasped that this was a new environment I had never seen before. Finding my classes was a huge challenge for me, because I had to figure out where to go to get my class schedule. I was too scared to ask, because I have a fear of speaking due to my shyness and English. Eventually, a teacher pointed me to the right direction. Then I quickly walked in to my first class and sat in the back of the class because I was shy and too scared. I was excited of my first day of school and anxious to learn but at the same time I was fearful of coming out of my shell. I was frightened because of my lack of English skills. The teacher introduced me to the class as an exchange student, I stood up but the fear of talking had paralyzed me. So all I said was “Hello” and sat back down. But the class seemed to welcome me and this make me feel relaxed. This fear was haunted me every day when I come to school. The day was moving slowly at a snail’s pace and I just wanted go home.

At recess, I was walking around looking for something to do. Then I saw a couple of kids playing basketball and I asked if I could join. They said yes, and I impressed them with my hoop skills. They asked me where did I learn to play basketball. Without realizing my lack of English, I told them it was my first time playing the game. I discovered that being reclusive and scared was not an option. So I started making friends with them without even thinking about my fear of talking. Then my English started slowly improving as I began talking to all the other kids playing basketball with me. I finally broke out of my shell when I continued participating in fun activities at recess. As for reading and writing, I had an after school class help me to learn. The teacher was really nice to me and I felt comfortable talking with them with no problem. I finally had overcome my fear of shyness and speaking English. I become more socialized and began meeting new friends.

What is critical thinking?

Critical thinking.... The first thoughts that come to my mind regarding critical thinking can include argumentation, issues, evaluating information, judgment, questioning, beliefs, theories, proofs, compare & contrast, and to think outside of the box. Critical thinking is an intellectual way to assess what material you are going over, whether it is reading and trying to find out close reading passages within the text. Some of the thoughts that are deeply within the text have to involve critical thinking to find out what it means or what the author is trying to get across. Clearly, anybody can read a book, however it takes a lot more time to come up with your own thoughts on what the reading says. To me, that is what critical thinking is and you are able to see other people's critical thinking and you can compare it to yours. It is a good way to discuss course issues because you get the other persons insight and you get to pick at their brain to a certain extent.
When it comes to reading critically, my habits can include research in the text. That is where I start off when I read. I typically read books so that I can get a grasps of what the reading is about. After I complete that task, I dissect the parts into the main categories of the book. I try to find or see if there is a deeper meaning within the text. It is easy to read the information that the author gives you, but, it takes critical reading to find out more information regarding why the author did this or did that. When reading critically, you become very observant of what the author writes or the way he or she writes. You can see a general pattern throughout the course of the novel. You will be able to see their tendencies or if they use analogies within their writings. Reading critically is far different from skimming the readings, skimming can include finding or trying to comprehend the general theme in the book. Opposite of that is critical reading because you try to figure out the outline, summarize, question and analyze the works of those authors. Furthermore, when reading critically you can write down, highlight the important information that will help you to analyze the novel or going to a deeper meaning of the story or the fact. I always apply it every time, it has become a habit within my reading and thinking critically to all areas in my work, education, and entertainment. Whether its work or education, you always have to critically understand the full concept of the basic step. As for entertainment, in movies you have to think critically to analyze the meaning and message that the director tries to deliver to the audience. As you watch the movie, you want to guess what the conclusion will be or you know what will happen because your mind is allowing you to think creatively and it allows your imagination to run with the script. I also apply these concepts to analyze sports such as: basketball, soccer, etc.. even screening the athletes on TV, they are also other components of my everyday critical thinking because I want to see how they became so good, whether it involves practice or just sheer skill. It allows me to see what they are doing and I can incorporate that stuff within my daily life. On the topic of daily life, school is my main priority and that is why I have to think critically throughout the rest of my life for the betterment of myself. I hope this class can help me improve my analytical skills and a better understanding of human life.