Maria Briceno Humanities 1100 Fridays 10:00 am 12:50 pm E-Portfolio Assignment #1 04/04/2014 1.

. Why has our generation become so violent? Why is our only answer violence and war? Are we not ashamed of killing? Isnt America known for the country of Freedom? When injustice is served, someone has to correct it and make it morally correct, but that doesnt mean violently. People show protest by marching with signs and banners, this isnt hurting anyone, and its simply showing you what they believe in and what theyre capable of fighting for. We can be like Thoreau, and write a whole poem about injustice. I think that counts as a sign of protest, hes stating his beliefs and hes questionings others belief, which he doesnt think are right, and theres no violence included. People can use music as a sign of protest, using words and putting them into a song to show your beliefs and what youre fighting for is a good way to show others what you want. Of course theres also all the other non-violent protests we learned about in class. I think everyones perception of freedom is different. We all fight for different things and we all want different things. We all have the choice to be free; we all have responsibility over the choices we make. We are where we are because of our choices and our freedom. You have the freedom to do anything you want, you have the freedom to make any choice you want, whether its good or bad. I think we all are somewhat free. Were not chained, or have someone telling us what to do every hour of everyday. We should appreciate where were at because not everyone is blessed enough to live freely everyday of their lives. 2. No, citizens shouldnt always trust their government. There are leaders out there today who arent helping for the citizens interest, but for their own personal interest. Country leaders just want power; they want power to take over things and people. You can tell when a leader is putting their country first before themselves. Any leader can say they have patriotism, justice, morality, and that theyre good citizens, but its their actions that demonstrate their real reasons. For example, Im from Venezuela and Venezuela right now is going through really hard times. There is no food, no money, and no protection. The government isnt protecting but hurting civilians and its destroying the country. The president there is becoming a dictator and the words that come out of his mouth are, I am a good president, I am a good leader, I will help us through this. He cant help us through it, because hes the one causing it. He can say all of those things but at the end of the day no one believes him because his actions say something completely different. The government is even shooting civilians who try to protest, is that a good leader?

B. Can anyone really define a good leader? What is a good leader? Who is a good leader? Everyone will have different answers and opinions. What about a powerful leader? What is power? Power can be good or bad. I think phrases like these are so difficult to define because there are so many examples to give and there are so many controversies and opinions. Everyone is going to have their personal opinion on whether they think someone was or is a good leader and someone who wasnt or isnt. Someone can have different qualities for a leader than I can, and thats never going to be the same because were all different in our own ways. Someone can have a dictator as qualities for a leader and someone can have a good president for a leader. There are evil people in the world still, and there are good people. Thats the difference. 3. I think Thoreau describes good citizens as people who follow the law, respect the law, and help society when injustices are made. Thoreau clearly states that a good citizen wouldnt make injustices and only follow the law for good and not for evil. People may not agree with the law or like it, but they have to follow it. He says that we know unjust laws exist and we have the intellect to disobey them. If the machine of government is of such a nature that it requires you to be the agent of injustice to another, then I say, break the law (Thoreau). I think hes saying that if the government is giving you authority to do something injustice, dont do it, and disobey the law by doing the right thing. I think Gandhi would term a good citizen as someone who peacefully stands up for what they believe in. Gandhi was a good man and he always believed in doing what was right in a rightful and honest way. He always applied non-violence to civil disobedience. An unjust law is itself a species of violence. Arrest for its breach is more so (Gandhi). Martin Luther King never used violence toward his protesting. He always made it sound so just and good. Martin Luther King defines a good citizen has someone who stands up for what they believe in in a justifiable way. He stands up for the injustices other made to him and his people. He eliminated discrimination against black people without becoming violently involved. I think he believes a good citizen is a good man and a good person who follows the law the way it should be followed, in a good and peaceful way. One has a moral responsibility to obey unjust laws (Martin Luther King). John Lennon would spread his word by merrily writing songs and by these songs he would show peace and love. He used this as a form of protest but it was never a violent form. I think he would define a good citizen as someone who stands up for his or her beliefs in a very peaceful, non-violent way. He was someone who thought about the world and interpreted that into his music. B. I would define a good citizen as someone who obeys the law and doesnt go against the law, also someone who accepts the law as it is and knows their boundaries from rights and laws. As good citizens we know the law and we know right from wrong. The law may be injustice and as good citizens we need to see that and be able to differentiate between the unlawful and the lawful. A good citizen needs to be responsible and conscientious. Just like the other people I spoke about earlier in the paper, we need to stand up for the right that we choose, and not for the

right that the government is making us choose. If we know our moral values, and standards, dont lower them because someone more powerful than us is taking over unjustly.