Harriet "Courage" Tubman

One individual that I find to be very heroic, is Harriet Tubman. Throughout a time in history when standing out could possibly get one killed, she was not afraid to do just that. Famous for leading numerous slaves to freedom in the North, Harriet Tubman was one of the many "revered" leaders of the Underground Railroad. Though she was constantly risking her life in doing this, it seemed at though she never failed to put other's safety first, above her own. One interesting point, is that though she was not only black, she was also FEMALE, which also put her at risk of rape, as well as beating, and quite possibly, death.
There are many reasons why I find Harriet Tubman to be a herioc individual. Risking one's life daily is just one of the many reasons that I find her to be important to history. She was very selfless and cared more for others than herself, which truly showed her to be a hero. The way that she seemed to ignore the fact that her life was on the line every time that she stepped out of her door makes her a heroic individual to me. Above all, I find her to be one of the most influential women in our history. She was not afraid to step out of her "safety zone". Courage was definitely a trait that Tubman knew well. It seems that when some were afraid to help those enslaved in the South, she did her best make up for what others were busy not doing. For these and many other reasons, I believe that Harriet Tubman deserves to be recognized as one of the "heroic" figures from America's history.

Columbus vs. Columbus....?

On considering Columbus’s affect on the United States, I have many conflicting feelings. First, I feel as though history never really gives us the right points on everything. It is very frustrating to think that we have been taught half of the whole of a story. After reading both of the versions of the story of Christopher Columbus, I cannot help but try to decide which the better and more truthful version is. I, personally, feel that Loewen’s version is more factual, due to his citing of his sources. I believe that the internet source is not quite as credible. The main reason for this is because one isn’t quite sure who the author is of the total article. You cannot find out where all the information comes from. It is very hard to determine where all the information came from because there isn’t even a name listed to contact, if an individual wanted to do so. On the topic of Columbus Day, although I love getting out of school, I feel that it is a joke. Here we are celebrating this holiday that was made on questionable circumstances. No one really knows for sure who founded the Americas, so why celebrate a possibility? I feel that there are plenty of other individuals that could be celebrated that did wonderful things. I just think that we shouldn’t celebrate a holiday that is uncertain.

All's Fair in Love & War

When considering the argument of whether or not proportionality should be considered in war, I have a few feelings on this issue. After considering this thought for awhile, I decided that proportionality should be used depending on the type of war that we are fighting. For example, numerous times in my history classes, I have read about the “guerilla” tactics that the Americans used against the British in the Revolutionary War. This brings to mind the idea that, today, we seem to have our own rules of war, as opposed to two hundred years ago. If we are taking our chances following the “correct procedures” that war uses while the other side is not even caring if they are killing themselves in kamikaze plane crashings, I do not believe that proportionality should be considered. I think that war is war, and one does what he or she needs to do in order to win. I must comment though, that all killing of civilians should be avoided at all costs. I am sure that this is hard at times, but just like in the United States, not everyone is always supportive of what is going on in the war fields. On the ideas of Iraq and proportionality, I think that we are doing as well as we are able. This just so happens to be much better than how we acted with Japan.
Upon saying all this though, I have to admit that one must be ready to accept the consequences of his or her actions. Like LeMay said when he commented on being tried as war criminals, this may have been something that those men should have thought of before committing the offenses. All in all though, I feel that proportionality, though fair, is no always something to be considered in times of war.

Reflecting on Ishmael's Reflections

After watching the YOUTUBE interview with Ishmael Beah, I cannot help but realize how his very demeanor is so much more inviting now than it would have been about seven years ago. It just blows my mind to think that the individual that was sitting there with George Stroumboulopoulos was the very child that witnessed the horrific events documented in A Long Way Gone. Throughout his discussion with the interviewer, he touches on a lot of things that he touched upon in his book. I recalled the way that he mentioned revenge in the interview was just like how he talked about it in the book. Another similarity was how he mentioned torturing the UNICEF workers until they had to receive hospital treatment. I love the way that Beah expresses himself on-air. You can tell that at times he is not so certain of exactly how to say what he wants to say correctly, but it doesn’t stop him. He is very congenial and does his best to be positive regardless of what he happens to be talking about at the time.
This book is definitely one that I would recommend to a friend. Though I hadn’t heard of it beforehand, it is one that I will keep dear to my heart because it was so good. I feel that it really expresses how terrible war can be, even to people that have no idea what war is really like. I am so happy that Ishmael has been able to be so successful and I hope that he continues with the story of what happened after he got to his “safe-zone”.