On Being an American Journalist

Steve Bell's stand in this article is to speak out for journalism. There shouldn't be a barrier against certain viewpoints of information. He is trying to say that only a good American journalist can accurately report information for all sides of the story. To keep the "democratic engine" of the U.S.A. running, everyone should have the right to report everything that they can obtain. However, this involves a certain level of risk. The truth sometimes can offend leaders and institutions internationally. An approach to worldwide stability is to learn more about ourselves (Americans) in other people's eyes. We will need to know how and why so many around the world seem to hate us and why we seem like an "insensitive bully in the global village".

I very much agree with this article. In the world of journalism, we shouldn't be masking ourselves to the positive views. Americans have to face reality and understand how our institutions truly operate. This reminds me of the recent WikiLeaks. Julian Assange, the founder and editor of WikiLeaks faced charges and his websites are being blacklisted in the U.S.A. His release of confidential information reminds us about the freedom of press and speech and national security. Even though the government considers the Constitution highly, they are also trying to protect us by limiting information. So it goes hand in hand. The government hides the facts for our public safety while we deserve all the rights from which the government provides us with.

King Still King?

Do we still see traces of Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.'s words in 2011? The answer is yes. Throughout our country, we are all trying to establish laws that will satisfy both the majority and minority. Many protests ignited from our current restrictions. Civil disobedience is occurring every single day all over the world. In the "Letter from a Birmingham Jail" from Martin Luther King Jr., he states that the "Oppressed people cannot remain oppressed forever. The yearning for freedom eventually manifests itself,". This expresses how inequality in this world feels. They start to develop ideals of rebelling and reform. When a law is just, it has to agree to the moral of all kind and when a law is unjust, it breaks the harmony between mankind.
A prime example of a struggle of civil rights that is going on right now is gay marriage. Even though I don't take a stand on this, I still do believe that everyone should have the freedom and right to pursuit happiness. Oddly, gays are looked down upon in our current society. Most of the older generation finds it unacceptable and inhumane. Protests and court rulings are always going on in the news. Every single person should have the right to strive for anything they want unless in this democracy.

There Was a Child Went Forth

Writing it in a free verse style, Walt Whitman wrote about the identity and individuality of a child. As he goes through his childhood, the child gets deeply influenced by his surroundings. "And the first object he look'd upon, that object he became", this quote explains how he will imitate whatever he sees. The "field-sprouts" and the "early lilacs" compares to the start of a new child. The metaphoric language in the beginning means that children have the purest and clearest mind before it gets contaminated with school and the society. The child starts off noticing objects, then nature, then animals, then people, then machines. As he starts branching off into school, he begins to differentiate people by their age, gender, race, and behavior. The negative influences of the society starts drilling in as he gets expose to "the old drunkard". Moving to the descriptions of his parents, he expresses his gratefulness for the mean strictness of his father and the mild love of his mother. As he gets older, the child begins to think about all things he viewed in the past and moves on to the "horizon's edge" of his life (college). With the closing line of the poem, "These became part of that child who went forth every day, and who now goes, and will always go forth every day", each experience of the child shapes his identity and character slowly in each day of his life.