In-Class Writing

In the first part of the Luther Standing Bear statement, one of the major themes is the idea that all life is equal. The Lakota respected the land, the animals, and each other. Animals had rights just as Man did, and because of this, they could not look down on any creature. They didn't take advantage of anything and were grateful for everything.
One of the major themes of Chief Seattle's is the fact that "the White Man's day will come." He speaks a lot about his people and how they are being affected by the White Man. They know that it isn't smart to try fight them and that it would be beneficial to allow themselves to be protected by them. Although Chief Seattle makes this point, he also says that if the Red Man and the White Man are supposed to brothers, then that means that the day will come where the White Man will die off just as the Red Man will. His statements seem to foreshadow the eventual demise of the Indian, in which they all die off due to the White Man imposing his ways on them.
I think that the meaning of Chief Seattle's speech was merely a message to the White Man saying that his ways were wrong. His quote, "This we know - earth does not belong to man - man belongs to the earth," truly sums up the Native American's outlook on life, and the problem with the White Man's. I do believe he that he knew his people would die off simply because the younger generation only wanted to fight against the White Man when there was no way that they, as a people, could win. The older generation had lost all control and ultimately decided to sit back and allow the White Man to "protect them" from then on.

Chief Seattle Speech

Unless there is someone alive today that was actually there when Chief Seattle gave his speech, we can only go off of what someone else said. Often times this is the problem with history and stories in general because there is always more than one side, and it's very hard to find out the truth. In Chief Seattle's case, someone had to translate his speech for him, so words are easily lost in translation. Who knows if this is his actual or speech and whether this is really the message he was trying to give?

Damn those Dams!

Dams were invented centuries and centuries ago as an instrument to prevent water from flowing into the land where people lived. Both humans and animals use dams (think beavers), but over the years, humans took dams to a level where it has a negative environmental impact. One of the affects is fish not being able to breed correctly, and therefore causing some species to become endangered and sometimes extinct. Aren't humans being selfish by being too afraid to get a little wet, even though it means that species of fish will die off? I think something needs to be done about the dams so that they don't affect life underwater.

Religion is such a "touchy" subject

I'm not much of a religious person at all. I believe in God, and I like to think that all things happen for a reason, but what does that say about people who aren't given the same opportunities as others, and live lives in poverty? I, as well as my classmates, am very privileged in that I grew up in a household with two parents, and had the opportunity to partake in higher learning. If everything happens for a reason, then why are inner city children denied resources that would help them in their education? Is it in God's plan for them to remain in the vicious cycle of living paycheck-to-paycheck? I'm not saying that I don't want to believe in God, but I just wish that I could prove he is really there.

Overpopulation Needs Addressing

Technology is a big factor in the issue of overpopulation. The more that technology improves, the less people we need on earth to do the things that the new technology can do for us. The world population, however, is growing more now than ever before. Is technology a good thing? When will we realize that the technology that we've become accustomed to making life easier for us, can really be hurting us in the long run?
Overpopulation Needs Addressing