The Beatles - Help!

Help, I need somebody,
Help, not just anybody,
Help, you know I need someone, help.
In the first stanza, the narrator states he needs assistance from a certain somebody. He/she just does not want anybody but from certain people.

When I was younger, so much younger than today,
I never needed anybody's help in any way.
But now these days are gone, I'm not so self assured,
Now I find I've changed my mind and opened up the doors.
This stanza states that as time past, the narrator became less assured and confident in himself. He no longer can rely on himself to accomplish what he normally can do in the past. Therefore, he is changing his mind and allowing others to assist him. Literally, as people grow older, they start getting slower and their senses grow duller. Thus, they will require more assistance and support from the community.

Help me if you can, I'm feeling down
And I do appreciate you being round.
Help me, get my feet back on the ground,
Won't you please, please help me?
According to this third stanza, the narrator explains the reason for his need of assistance. Feeling depressed and down, the narrator requires people to support him and assist him to recollect his feelings. He is trying to stand back up from a low point of his life and asks for desperate help as he attempts to beg.

And now my life has changed in oh so many ways,
My independence seems to vanish in the haze.
But every now and then I feel so insecure,
I know that I just need you like I've never done before.
Due to this depression, everything in his life is changing through his thoughts, and his independence is getting limited as he realizes all the boundaries and restrictions of everyday life. Once again, he restates the insecurity and uncertainty about himself. According to the last line, there were rare instances where he needed help from others. He is not used to receiving help from others and also finds it difficult to acquire assistance.

Help me if you can, I'm feeling down
And I do appreciate you being round.
Help me, get my feet back on the ground,
Won't you please, please help me.

When I was younger, so much younger than today,
I never needed anybody's help in any way.
But now these days are gone, I'm not so self assured,
Now I find I've changed my mind and opened up the doors.

Help me if you can, I'm feeling down
And I do appreciate you being round.
Help me, get my feet back on the ground,
Won't you please, please help me, help me, help me, oh.

The second, third, and fourth stanza repeats itself once more to emphasize the message of the song. The narrator is trying to convey the importance of support and assistance from the community during times of depression and low states of life. People should support others to get back up from where they fall. During 1965 in the year which the song was written, the Vietnam War was going on and this song can serve as a message telling other nations to help out Vietnam during their depressing state as Vietnam opened the door to foreign support. Many nations did try to bring Vietnam back to its feet but instead, it created more conflict.

On the Reservation

Before America was discovered by Europeans, Native Americans were living freely on their own land. After America was settled in by Europeans and renounced as a nation founded by the English, Native Americans were forced off their homes by the foreigners and relocated to remote areas where they have no connections with. These isolated sections of the country were known as reservations. There are about 310 reservations in the United States today with about 550 different tribes. They are no longer identified by their different tribes in their own native land. Now, they are all just categorized as "Native Americans" or "Indians". The idea of Indian reservations was introduced in the 1820's by Andrew Jackson. He wanted to separate the "Indians" from contact with settlements of the whites and believes that reservations will allow them to pursue their own happiness. This was also meant to decrease the tension between whites and Native Americans at the time.
The quality of the reservations is very different from most of the United States. They live harsh lifestyles comparable to developing countries. According to descriptions from the book, Montana 1948, from the land in the reservations, it is very difficult to grow crops. Going to college and living outside of the reservation were also considered very respectable. They are isolated from the technological society and separated from the most of the world. Also, they are given limited opportunities within their small towns. We should not have relocated them from their familiar homes and should not have restrained them from the rest of the nation.

2011 Propaganda

Modern propaganda is distinguished from other forms of communication by its deliberate and intentional use of false or misleading information to sway public opinion. Propaganda often presents facts of one side to encourage a particular message to the public. Nowadays, propaganda is more common in industrial societies. In these environments, people not only may come up with irrational ideas, but they may also seek to persuade others to join their cause. The informational technologies allows industrial propaganda to spread at a rapid pace. Advertisements and commercials are always in sight. Companies know very well on how to manipulate people to buy their products. The aim of modern advertising is to create desires for their manufactured products. For example, there are advertisements featuring famous athletes and musicians eating McDonalds products. It is trying to create a misleading image to consumers about staying healthy from eating McDonalds. In reality, McDonalds are mass produced with the weird and disgusting ingredients. Alcohol manufactures are also a distinct example of how modern propaganda exist. In their commercials, they try to give viewers a deceiving idea about the pleasure and advantages of consuming alcohol. There is certainly nothing fun and entertaining about consuming alcohol. Propaganda is more commonly seen than ever before.

Free Response to Black Boy

Black Boy is an autobiography of Richard Wright. The book explores his childhood which regards issues of race. Richard writes about his experiences as a child and how he reflects upon the racist world. Gradually, he learns from his actions and becomes more aware about the racial relations of America. At a very young age, he lacked the care and love of family and received some negative influences.
This is a very interesting book to read. I actually couldn't put it down. The storyline is very unpredictable with Wright's intensive attitude. Throughout the novel, Wright seeks out reading with a passion that resembles a physical appetite. The desire to read and the desire to eat are closely related in his mind. Also, I favor how Richard Wright emphasizes on the themes of hunger for food, attention, knowledge, and engagement in society. There is also a passionate desire for Wright to observe and reflect upon the racist world around him. He observes the effects of racism on the black and white society. Taking that into his perspective, he judges the whole morality of his own race. This book is more than just an autobiography, it contains the perseverance of Richard Wright's life, one obstacle after another.

Hungry for Attention

Is young Richard alone in his cravings? The answer is no. Even though the book doesn't tell us much about Richard's brother, he is always there whenever Richard commits a wrongful act. His brother observes and serves as a bystander when Richard sets the curtains on fire. When Richard tries to look for comfort, his brother had already tattled to their parents about the fire. His brother preys on Richard's wrongdoings and use it as a way to grab the attention of the adults in the house.

It is no surprise for a four year old to crave for attention. Without the food provider of the family (Richard's father), the mother has to work in difficult conditions and long hours to get barely enough to feed her children. Because of her long work hours, the children would most definitely be deprived of parental love and lacked attention from their parents. Using brutal methods, Richard's mother is trying to teach her two boys to survive in the society more independently. She is trying to tell them that there is no longer a father behind them protecting their backs. From this, Richard gets exposed to the society's influence at an early age. He wasn't certain of the consequences of the things he did. Craving for attention and curiosity, Richard always find himself in trouble.

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.