Voice Thread

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Song of Solomon Annotation

1. What has been most challenging thus far in your reading of Song of Solomon?

         The most challenging aspect of Song of Solomon, is how the author kind of drops us in the middle of the story. At times it is difficult to make sense of what characters the author is discussing or following. Another aspect of the book I have trouble with, is the large time changes after paragraph breaks. This can make it hard to understand the characters lives and surroundings. This forces me to pay close attention in order to piece together relationships and storylines. In the annotated page below, a lot about Milkman and his father’s relationship is revealed through the language the author uses. Annotating this page gave me a lot of clarity and helped improve my understanding of the book.

2. How have you addressed this challenge?

         I have addressed the challenges I’ve been having with lack of context, by reading closely and annotating thoroughly. I annotate for relationships and clarity. I also make sure to write down any questions I have in the book so that I can address them in class, and try to sort through what’s happening in the book. It has been very helpful for me to discuss annotations with a friend in order to see different insights into the chapter that i might have overlooked. I can infer a lot about the relationships of certain characters based on the wording used in this book.

Family History

My family name Noe has many origins. It was associated with Holland, England, Germany, and France. It is said to have been derived from the Biblical name Noah. That is all my Dad new about our last name, as his family was never interested in knowing the origins.

However, my mother’s family has told stories of their immigration from Ukraine for years. Shortly before World War II, when my great grandfather refused to join the communist party, my great grandmother, and grandmother were forced to leave after being declared enemies of the state. Because my great grandmother was able to speak German, they were able to go to German work camps during WWII. She worked in the kitchen and stole food by hiding it in her skirt to pass out as rations for the people in her town. My grandmother to this day is claustrophobic and afraid of thunder, because it triggers her to the memory of the sound of bombs being dropped on Dresden. Following this bombing, their family lived in displaced persons camps such as camp Ohio. My great grandmother and grandmother were able to pass through Ellis island, but my great grandmother's husband was forced to stay behind because he had contracted tuberculosis. I have other family members who are now living in America, but during this time immigrated to Brazil rather than America when they were unable to get a sponsor. Ever since I was little my parents have recounted how my grandmother came here with a dollar in her pocket for stamps, and was able to make a life for herself. Just last year my grandmother traveled to Germany to give her story to an author creating a book surrounding WWII. Their story of immigration is inspiring and I am proud that my middle name, Alla, is my grandmothers name because she is someone I greatly admire.

Unwelcome Dissent?

Jim Acosta, a reporter for CNN had his press pass revoked by president Trump following an incident in which they argued over a question, and he “laid his hands” on a female aid. [CLICK HERE] There were many willing to argue that the suspension of his press pass was due to the dissenting question Acosta asked, rather than his actions, which in the video did not seem as significant as they made it out to be.

Jim Acosta asked President Trump if he was demonizing immigrants by calling the approaching caravan an “invasion”. Trump proceeded to call Acosta rude and signaled a White House aid to take the microphone from him. As she went to reach for the microphone he tried to block her from taking it saying, “Pardon me ma’am,” as he did so. President Trump later suspended his press pass saying it was due to his “inappropriate behavior” towards the young woman. However, in an interview with Anderson Cooper, Jim Acosta stated he believed the real reason behind his revoked press pass was his questioning of Trumps poor language towards immigrants.
Jim Acosta was questioning Trumps demeaning language towards immigrants during the press conference, and it appeared as though Trump took issue with it. President Trump appeared unwilling to address the issue Acosta brought up, and even called him “rude” for asking such a question. Acosta used his freedom of speech to be a dissenting voice, raising fair questions of President Trumps treatment of others, and was instantly shut down. Political dissent is very common, however it is often dealt with poorly. President Trump, like many, was unhappy with dissent and rather than allowing for a discussion to follow, simply tried to move on from the question.

How can dissent be helpful in politics? How could Trump have better dealt with dissent? Do you believe Acosta’s press pass was revoked due to his dissent, or rather his “actions” toward the White House aid?

Pipe Bomb Investigations

There is an on going investigation into the pipe bombs being sent to prominent people. Pipe bombs were addressed to prominent people in politics such as Joseph Biden Jr., former president Barack Obama, and Hillary Clinton, Robert DeNiro and a few others (CLICK HERE). 

The police are searching for the man who was at first suspected to have delivered them by hand, but later was believed to have mailed all 10 pipe bombs. Police from Florida, Los Angeles, Washington, and New York are working to find and stop him before he hurts someone. His motive was unclear, but they are operating under the assumption that he is targeting critics of President trump, as Robert DeNiro was known to speak out against him. In this age hate is more present than ever with the political climate being very hostile. People are on polar opposite sides when it comes to politics which often leads to aggression. In this case the agression has reached a deadly level, causing a person to send pipe bombs to those who have spoken openly, as is there right, about their views which oppose Trumps’. We need to work as a country to prevent political aggression from causing acts of terror within our community. But how did the current political climate become as hostile as it is now, and How can we as a country work to resolve the hostility between political parties? How can we create preventative measures to stop people before they commit acts of terror? 

Global Warming Is Real

The devastation's of Hurricane Florence were felt by much of the southeast coast, including South Carolina, North Caroline, and Virginia. Hurricane Florence destroyed upwards of 22 million dollars of property, killed 50 people and flooded 51,000 properties.

A lot of the damage done by the hurricane was in direct correlation to the rising sea levels due to climate change (CLICK HERE). Climate change is causing the ice to melt and flood the seas, thus causing higher storm surges that affect a wider amount of land, as the hurricane passes over. Climate change is causing a rise in the temperature of the water as well, which also has a significant affect on hurricanes. One key component of a hurricane is a water temperature of 82° Fahrenheit in order to have enough energy to give movement to the storm, and the rising temperature of water in other regions can cause the storm to intensify as it passes over.

The affects of Hurricane Florence aided by the rising sea levels caused an additional 11,000 homes to be flooded and destroyed, that otherwise would have been unaffected and created 50 percent more rainfall. The affects of climate change on natural disasters such as Hurricane Florence have been significant and will continue to cause and aid disaster unless we work as a community to help reduce its effects. So how can we collectively help stop global warming? Is it possible to reverse the damage already done by rising sea levels and global warming? If global warming continues increasing at the rate it is, what other aspects of life will be effected?