Farewell to Manzanar

Choose (1) of the following writing prompts about Farewell to Manzanar. Blog your response.

Farewell to Manzanar is a memoir piece by Jeanne Wakatsuki Houston. It chronicles her experience as an internee at Manzanar, one of the internment camps established for Japanese Americans during the time following the Pearl Harbor bombing of WWII. With great courage, she decides to tell the story of this difficult life experience.

O     Write about the importance of telling difficult stories. Do you think we should write books and stories that share about the hard times of our lives? Why or why not? What are the benefits? What are the negative consequences?

O     How do fear and ignorance create prejudice? Can you think of examples of prejudice (outside of racially based prejudice) that occur in the middle school setting?

Dr. King's Dream

As a 2013 citizen of a global community and young adolescent, reflect upon the promise and current reality of Dr. King’s dream.  To what extent has the promise of Dr. King’s “I Have a Dream” speech been  realized? How can leaders of the 21^st century continue to bring Dr. King’s dream to fruition?

Considering the Wisdom of Humanitarians

Now that you have almost completed your web quest for our Citizens of a Global Community theme, you have an idea about some of the work that humanitarians have done toward human rights. Take a moment to reflect on some of the wise words shared by humanitarians such as Eleanor Roosevelt, Mother Teresa, Martin Luther King, Gandhi, and Nelson Mandela.

·         Read each quote.

·         Choose the quote that resonates most strongly with you.

·         Write about what you think the quote means and how it can relate and provide wisdom for real life today.

·         Consider how young adolescents can benefit from the wisdom of these humanitarians.

Be the change you want to see. (Gandhi)

No one can make you feel inferior without your consent. (Eleanor Roosevelt)
The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy. (Martin Luther King)

Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world. (Nelson Mandela)

Loneliness and the feeling of being unwanted is the most terrible poverty. (Mother Teresa)