New Letter to the President

Dear Mr. President,

On behalf of America, I would like to portray to you my opinion on media. Media is an evil, manipulative corporation but it is also a human right. This controversial topic sets forth a substantial amount of criticism and a fine line should be set between what is just media, and what is immoral media. As our president it is your duty to create this imaginary line of what is right and wrong in the subject of media, but perhaps my opinion can help sway your choice. Media has the power to start or end a war, ruin a persons life, bring great pain to people, cause suicides, or it can even just express which team won the most recent NBA game. There are examples of controlled media around the world and media is used to manipulate any and every human being, but can even bring forth the truth to vital predicaments, for example the revolution of a country. The question set into the open is should media be controlled?

Popular media is such a controversial divisive topic mainly because it can bring so much good and on the other hand, can cause so much destruction. Media is a powerful tool that can do anything from getting a person to buy a product, to convincing someone to think and act a certain way. I do not believe media should be controlled to a certain extent, the people have the right to know everything, but the way everything is presented is not beneficial to this country. People believe certain talk show hosts and anchormen religiously and that can become a problem when biased news corporations are manipulating half the country. People around the globe idolize American popular culture, according to Todd Gitlin, author of the article, “Under the Sign of Mickey Mouse and Co.” who states, “American popular culture is the nemesis that hundreds of millions – perhaps billions – of people love, and love to hate” (Gitlin, 826). Around the world people everywhere aspire to be a part of American culture and it is drastically changing the way this world operates. 

People everywhere have the right to have media fill them in on what is happening in the world, that is a human right. However, it is getting to the point where major corporations, especially in America, are growing too powerful too quickly. These manipulative corporations are allowed to do whatever they want, many of which “study America’s children like laboratory rats in order to sell them billions of dollars in merchandise by tempting, degrading, and corrupting them” (Kuplian, 650) according to David Kuplian, author of “Killer Culture”. The world has drastically changed due to the technology that was unavailable before the new century began. Children are gradually decreasing the time they spend outside and dramatically increasing the time spent in front of the television. If Americas youth is going to be spending all this time in front of the television, there should not be a series of advertisements playing eighty percent of the time with the sole purpose of brainwashing and manipulating society into purchasing their products. 

Corporations are brainwashing kids like never before to buy their products. Commercials on every channel of every station are made to brainwash the viewer into buying their products. Many products are built to expire in as little as two years after creation so that the consumer has to buy the new product available. A prime example of a corporation that does this is Apple. When was the last time you looked around and saw someone with the first iPhone ever made? I doubt it was long after the second iPhone was released. Every time a new product is made by this company there is a line around the block at every store just to trade in their old phone for a newer version that is practically identical. According to Matt Rosoff, author of business insider article Lawsuit: Apple Made Upgrade Break Old iPhone stated “A lot of customers--myself included--found that the "upgrade" to iOS 4 created crippling performance problems on older phones” (Rosoff). Apple designed an upgrade to make old phones virtually unusable for the sole purpose of getting the consumer to purchase the newest version. Practically every American corporation is evil and money hungry and will stop at nothing to keep gaining more and more power and money. Corporations in America have far too much power, be it media or consumer based corporations, and in many situations these go hand in hand. 

There needs to be something done to stop these corporations in their tracks. It is unfair when huge organizations such as McDonalds and Wall Mart are coming into small towns and taking all the business. How are new small businesses supposed to thrive in an economy run by huge corporations? The media is basically allowed to state what they want and can be completely biased with no penalty. This topic is so controversial because of the first Amendment stated in the Constitution, however that can not justify the manipulations and corruptions occurring daily. Corporations in America have way too much power, they build their items in sweat shops across seas for very cheap and over price them to make an exponential profit. This system causes the wildlife and natural preservatives to die off due to deforestation. This process has been on-going for decades as I am sure you are well aware. One way around this problem would be to set a high tariff on American based corporations that branch out of the country to create factories around the world. This would be more profitable for America for many reasons. It would create more jobs for Americans, because major corporations would have more of an incentive to stay on American soil. This would decrease the national unemployment rate and boost pride in many Americans. 

There are many problems that need to be solved, and I am not looking for an immediate answer. However, I do hope this letter reaches you and perhaps causes you to look at some different issues at hand. Thank you for your time.

Sincerely,

Ryan Lubell

Works Cited

Gitlin, Todd. "Under the Sign of Mickey Mouse & Co.." http://dlib.info. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 May 2013. <dlib.info/home/lbai/Mickey%20Mouse>.

Kupelian, David. The marketing of evil: how radicals, elitists, and pseudo-experts sell us corruption disguised as freedom. Nashville, Tenn.: WND Books, 2005. Print.

Rosoff, Matt. "Lawsuit: Apple Made Upgrade Break Old iPhones - Business Insider." Business Insider. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 May 2013. <http://www.businessinsider.com/lawsuit-apple-made-upgrade-break-old-iphones-2010-11>.

Letter to the President. MEDIA

Dear Mr. President,

          

            On behalf of America, I would like to portray to you my opinion on media. Media is an evil, manipulative corporation but it is also a human right. This controversial topic sets forth a substantial amount of criticism and a fine line should be set between what is just media, and what is immoral media. As president it is your duty to create this imaginary line of what is right and wrong but perhaps my opinion can help sway your choice. Media has the power to start or end a war, ruin a persons life, bring great pain to people, cause suicides, or it can even just express which team won the most recent NBA game. There are examples of controlled media around the world and media is used to manipulate children but can even bring forth the truth to vital predicaments, for example the revolution of a country. The question set into the open is should media be controlled?

            Popular media is such a controversial divisive topic mainly because it can bring so much good and on the other hand, can cause so much destruction. Media is a powerful tool that can do anything from getting a person to buy a product, to convincing someone to think and act a certain way. I do not believe media should be controlled to a certain extent, the people have the right to know everything, but the way everything is presented is not beneficial to this country. People believe certain talk show hosts and anchormen religiously and that can become a problem when biased news corporations are manipulating half the country. People around the globe idolize American popular culture, according to Todd Gitlin, author of the article, “Under the Sign of Mickey Mouse and Co.” who states “American popular culture is the nemesis that hundreds of millions – perhaps billions – of people love, and love to hate” (Gitlin, 826). Around the world people everywhere aspire to be a part of American culture and it is drastically changing the way this world operates.

            People everywhere have the right to have media fill them in on what is happening in the world, that is a human right. However, it is getting to the point where major corporations, especially in America, are growing too powerful too quickly. These manipulative corporations are allowed to do whatever they want, many of which “study America’s children like laboratory rats in order to sell them billions of dollars in merchandise by tempting, degrading, and corrupting them” (Kuplian, 650) according to David Kuplian, author of “Killer Culture”. The world has drastically changed due to the technology that was unavailable before the new century began. Children are gradually decreasing the time they spend outside and dramatically increasing the time spent in front of the television. If Americas youth is going to be spending all this time in front of the television, there should not be a series of advertisements playing eighty percent of the time with the sole purpose of brainwashing and manipulating society into purchasing their products.

Sincerely,

Ryan Lubell

            

ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY

ANNONTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY

Satrapi, Marjane. Persepolis. New York, NY: Pantheon, 2003. Print

            The author, Marjane Satrapi, divulges into her very own life as a young girl growing up in the revolution of Iran. This book is a prime example of a primary source that gives an accurate depiction of what life was like during her childhood in Iran. Satrapi elaborates on the brutality of the Iranian government, and how her and her family strived and thrived during these hard times. The level of trust that had to suffice within each family was tremendous and to witness it first hand must have been incredible. The author as a young girl had to deal with many hardships, such as family members in jail and tortured, hiding their valuables, not trusting neighbors and not having basic freedoms available in America. This citation gives key examples of oppression in Iran during Satrapis childhood and the struggles she had to endure.

CLAY, REBECCA A.. "Unraveling new media's effects on children." American             Psychological Association (APA). N.p., n.d. Web. 5 May 2013.             <http://www.apa.org/monitor/feb03/unraveling.aspx>.

            The author, Rebecca Clay, discusses the topic of the affects that media has on children. She discusses of different types of programs and the influence certain television programs can have on children. She explains of how children in the present spend much more time than they ever had in the past watching television. The media has a direct connection to the minds of our youth and use commercials to get kids hooked into their products. Reading storybooks had declined dramatically for most children over the past few years, and this article explains the psychological effects it can have on these children in the future. Rebecca shows examples of how this study is proven to be true and is a good source of showing the effects television have on the minds of the youth. 

Reading Analysis (Under the Sign of Mickey Mouse & Co.)

Ryan Lubell

April 28, 2013

Instructor Stacey Knapp

Reading Analysis

In the article titled, Under the Sign of Mickey Mouse & Co., the author, Todd Gitlin divulges into his opinion on corporate America. Gitlin discusses how American popular culture has infiltrated countries all over the world and infested them with popular American icons such as Disney. In today’s culture, entertainment is one of the of the worlds top exports. Gitlin explains his point of view of corporate American when he states, “Everywhere, the media flow defies national boundaries” (Gitlin). What Gitlin is stating is that, no matter who or where someone is, if they have access to a computer with an internet connection, they can gain access to knowledge their government may or may not want them to be in possession of.  Gitlin gives examples of how no matter where a person is in the world, if they ask a random person if they know what coke-a-cola is, there is a one hundred percent chance that random person will know what they are talking about. Although these evil corporations are supplying American products, which society foolishly buys into, that is only the first half of it. With all the supply that these corporations are pumping into stores across the country, comes a demand from the buyers. People all over the world not only recognize the products American corporations are selling, but they demand and want it to be in their possession.

Gittlin has a valid point with how insane advertisement and social media has become in today’s culture. I agree with Gittlin that American corporations are greedy and will stop at nothing to study children in order to figure out how to sell the most amount of product in the least amount of time. It is ridiculous major corporations hire top scientists in order to maximize the potential of selling their products.  I remember being a child, how excited I would be when I would watch television and there would always be some advertisement directed toward me to buy some stuffed toy or game. I would immediately demand my parents to buy this certain toy otherwise I would be miserable for the rest of my life. The way this certain advertisement impacted my emotions was no accident. Major corporations direct advertisements at children to maximize the potential of selling a certain item, and it happens all the time, all over the world. Many parents have a hard time saying no to their children, especially when they have had a long day and their child is screaming and crying in their ear over some toy, and its not worth arguing over! Many parents find themselves giving in to their children desperately craving a toy from the television when they are tired and fed up. Corporate America has slowly but surely taken over the “media” world and will not stop until they have taken every asset they can.

If I could change anything in my society or community.

If I could change anything in my society or community, I would change the form of currency we use, what we do in our spare time, and many more alterations. First off, it would be much more convenient if around the globe everyone had the same currency. That way, it would be much easier to exchange or trade valuables with strangers for items that you need. If I could, I would make spending one’s free time more like it was in the late 20^th century. It makes me sad to go outside and see a fraction of the amount of people playing or enjoying themselves as compared to how things were before the current updated technology we now possess. If I could alter my society for the better, I would sway people to not be racist or sexist, and to help others in need like homeless or with the elderly crossing the street, more often. If I could change my society or community, I would make it so little kids are not so mean to each other, and are taught to teach others with respect so that they grow up to behave in this manner. Children who are nicer to each other and do not name call or cause violence in their schools will be rewarded exponentially to act as a better role model for the other children.

I would cut down funding to the major corporations that maintain control over America currently. Major businesses like Viacom basically run corporate America and make it much harder for the middleman to start their own business. Their should be a limit to how big a company could get, but in modern day America, those huge corporations just pay off everyone in the business and always get what they want. There should be something done about the one “percenters”, although they did work hard to earn their position and status, it is unfair that so few are doing so well in today’s society, while so many are doing so poorly. The wealth of America should be spread to benefit the needs of the many, most definitely not the needs of the few.

In today’s society, one big alteration I would make is of the funding for education. Education is supposed to be the most vital funding asset of our country, but instead it is the least important. Getting into college or a university has become some huge competition. The government should have education as their top priority of funding, that way more colleges would be less competitive and much more people would have the opportunity to get the education they deserve. Also I would change the education system entirely. It seems wrong that we only teach general education starting at a very basic level. If a child or parent knew what type of education they strived to achieve, it would make little sense to put them through the basic routine of school right away. Per say one wanted to be an actor, why would he or she have to start at school learning things he or she will never use again for the rest of their life. It would be more ideal for that child, if it is their passion, to just start early from acting school, to better their skill of their passion in the future. 

KILLER CULTURE.

The article “Killer Culture”, by David Kupelian, discusses how popular culture has taken over the media and is corrupting the minds of youth society. David discusses about how certain aspects of popular culture like MTV have a huge negative aspect on society. Everything that MTV displays on their channel is a commercial in an attempt to sell the viewer something. MTV consists of music television videos, sponsors, advertisements, and much more all with the sole purpose to get into the viewers head. Today’s youth society has drastically changed from the youth society of the previous decades. Across the nation, there are teenagers in rebellion because of not being loved absolutely, for “children deserve and desperately need firmness, patience, fairness, limits, kindness, insight, and a good, non-hypocritical example” (Kupelian). These are the traits that every parent should possess and without these traits, a child may rebel and everything they were taught to dislike to maintain the right path may eventually seem attractive to them. This includes body piercings, tattoos, and meaningless sex with countless individuals. For a parent this is a gruesome nightmare, but in the mind of Kupelian, it is all the parents’ responsibility.

I believe Kupelian is correct in the sense that if a parent does not act in the way a good parent should, it could have very negative effects on the child. Without a parent to justify between what is right and wrong would lead to complete and utter chaos in a child’s life. However, too much parenting or over-protection can also lead to the same disastrous outcome. Parents need to guide their children toward the right path and control the atmosphere in which they live and learn in, but to try to control one’s child will never end in the way that parent wants. Many parents blame social media on why their child is so nasty, but many parents forget about parent control. It is very hard to uncorrupt a child who has been exposed to popular media, but if one were to simply block channels on the television that they found unsuitable for their child, there would be a huge disaster averted. Many parents just let their children surf the web and scroll through the television, but the Internet can be a terrible place. If a child is pre-exposed to adult content the psychological effects can be quite damaging. The ideal situation would be not to expose a child to the vast and disturbing ways of the Internet until their brains have matured enough to where they can understand and comprehend what they see. By doing this, these children will not become corrupted or addicted to the Internet and will live more “normal” lives, spending more time outside and free. It is only fair to a child that they be raised in a suitable atmosphere where they can grow and educate in a healthy environment not infested with popular culture.

            

MLA citations

WORKS CITED:

"12th Imam." Popular Issues - AllAboutPopularIssues.org. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Mar. 2013.             <http://www.allaboutpopularissues.org/12th-imam.htm>.

"Al-Muraja'at." Al-Islam.org by the Ahlul Bayt DILP - Home. N.p., n.d. Web. 9 Apr. 2013. <http://www.al-islam.org/murajaat/62.htm>.

Bakash, Shaul “Iran” American Historical Review (1991): 1479-496. Web.

"Biography of Imam Mohammad al-Mahdi - Islam Guidance." Sibtayn. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Mar. 2013.             < http://www.sibtayn.com/en/?Itemid=467>.

"The Panjtan Society Youth Group."Panjtan.org. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Mar. 2013.                         <http://www.panjtan.org.au/psyg/node/110>.

For my Iran Topic report I used a plethora of sources, including web pages, journal articles, journals, scholar articles and online web sources. According to to the University Library website, to avoid perjury and plagiarism one should follow these guidelines for MLA format: 

Spacing

In MLA style, the works-cited page is double spaced, with the same spacing within and between citations.

Order

Citations beginning with names and those beginning with titles are to be alphabetized together. Numbers in titles are treated as though they have been spelled out. For names, alphabetize based on the letters that come before the comma separating the last name from the first, and disregard any spaces or other punctuation in the last name. For titles, ignore articles such as "a" and "the" (and equivalents in other languages) for alphabetization purposes.

What to include

The title "Works Cited" indicates that the list you provide contains only the works you actually cite in your paper. If you wish to also include in your list works that you consult but do not cite, give your page the broader title "Works Consulted."

This information was helpful to me but some parts of the citation process are still giving me trouble. I always have a reference to look at when citing sources. Library 10 directly coincides with this material however I feel that the method of online coursework takes a little longer for me because I sometimes need further explanation and detail.

This information was helpful in the sense that when confused, I could always look back at these guidelines for more information. MLA format has never come to my understanding quite easily so to have this guideline as a fallback was quite helpful. I know understand with full clarity how and why MLA format is used, and how to properly cite my sources. 

Persepolis Reading Analysis

(Page 53/54 of Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi)

            The book Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi divulges in the daily life of a young Islamic revolutionist in Iran. Marjane Satrapi composed this text and she is mainly known for her multiple volumes of Persepolis. The audience she is intended to branch out and influence is not assumed to know much about her troubles. Marjane Satrapi gives a wide array of knowledge to inform those who do not know of typical life in Iran. Marjane informs the reader of the different styles of cloth they use, such as the veil, and the differences between typical American and Iran life.

            The two pages I have picked to interpret, deal with primary torture methods involved in the prisons of Iran. Marjane’s parents had an old friend from prison named Mohsen, whom of which was tortured so much they assumed he was dead (Satrapi, 50). Mohsen explains in detail the kind of tortures he had to endure in prison life (Satrapi, 52). Mohsen explains to the family that the prison guards were believed to be torturers from the C.I.A and real scientists that knew every nerve in one’s body. The author hopes to bring to light the cruelness and brutality of some men. One would be tortured until death if they wouldn’t give the torturers the knowledge they were looking for. The author may even been trying to scare the reader by showing them a little glimpse of what many of her beloved peers had to endure. The author’s intent is made clear through the dialogue her parents have with their friend. Marjane could have made it so her character had nightmares about torture. However, instead she made it so a real character had come to inform her family of real tortures that happened to people she knew. Many of these actions were presumably used only during wartime, however Marjane made it apparent to the reader that many people who revolt in Iran are tortured. It show’s the viciousness of many men and makes one analyze the world around them.

            The tone and style of this text is a very serious tone with an informational background. Marjane does a great job showing the horrors of her home as child. Although there are some humorous texts and a bit of satire, the overall tone of this book is a very serious tone. Throughout many parts of the book there are discussions of violence and revolution showing the dangers of Iran during rebellion. The style of this book is an informal academic one, for it is in a graphic novel and can be academic for it teaches one many knowledgeable aspects of Iran. While Marjane is trying to convey a serious message of a revolution, she does a great job of keeping the reader intrigued and constantly supplying new knowledge so the reader is never confused on what a certain item is. Through cultural differences comes change in daily life of that people, Marjane shows the reader just how different it is across the world. 

Persepolis 2

The book Persepolis, by Marjane Satrapi, discusses the regime and how it became more repressive in Iran. This book follows the life of a middle-class teenage girl in Iran having to live her teenage years as a youth in revolt. Persepolis portrays stories of a young woman being executed at the age of 18, of innocent brave men risking their lives for the one’s they hold dearest to them, and many more intriguing memories of the author. The final chapters of the book discuss the tragedies of living in Iran in such a crucial time. At any given moment one family could we wiped out, such as a Jewish family in the book, the Baba-Levys. Marji was racing home after shopping to discover her family was almost massacred by a missal, and instead it was her neighbor’s house. This book brings to light the radical differences between the country of Iran and the United States of America. Just because people from the United States of America have a different lifestyle does that make it a better place to live in? One reason America and Iran have a feud is because of this very question.

            I personally have never had to deal with these kinds of dangerous predicaments the author Marjane Satrapi is discussing in her book. I am blessed to live in a time and country where I can feel safe and don’t have to worry about coming home to my house being hit by a missile. In America, we have the freedom of speech, freedom to express oneself, and many more rights not available in many other countries. Living here, I take for granted my every day freedom’s that people have died to uphold and people would literally die to have. Having read Persepolis, it has opened my mind to the world around me and how it is has been made more apparent that not every one on this globe is equal. Why is it that I have the right to say and do what I want, but on the other-side of the globe someone could be murdered by the very government sought to protect them for doing the same action I did? One quote that really stuck with me was “To die a martyr is to inject blood into the veins of society” (115). Basically, this quote states that if one dies for their country, they are doing a great service for that country. If this is true, what did the young girl in this story, Niloufar, die for? Marji believed her to be a real martyr who died for nothing. Marji rejects this quote and for good reasoning. She believes she can make a positive difference through education and she will avenge her friend by standing up for what she believes in. 

The Twelve Imams.

Ryan Lubell

Profressor Stacey Knapp

English 1A

March 12, 2013

Prophecy of the Twelfth Imam

            To understand the context of the Twelve Imams, one must first know what the phrase “The Twelve Imams” translates to. The Twelve Imams in Arabic translates to: twelve spiritual leaders who generally lead others in prayer. In the Islamic world the Imam of a community is known to enforce the laws of the Shariah. The Shariah is the religious laws and the basic fundamentals of principle set to Islam. The two primary sources of Shariah law derive from the Quran and the Islamic prophet Muhammad. The Twelfth imam, also known as the guided one, was said to be the son of the 11^th imam and is thought by certain followers of Islam to still lie in recluse, waiting to reemerge the spearhead of an apparently upcoming religious judgment day.

            Muhammad al-Mahdi, son of al-Hasan al-‘Askari, and Nagris, was born in Samarra’ on Friday, 15^th in Sha’ban (August) 255 AH. Muhammad al-Mahdi is said to be the living prophet of the Iranian culture. He is believed to still be alive and it is held by the faithful that he will bring the world justice once he returns on judgment day. Muhammad al-Mahdi is viewed to be the son of the 11^th prophet and is held in the same esteem as the holy prophet himself. It is perceived among Muslims that when al-Mahdi returns he, with direct insight from Muhammad would enforce the laws of Islam and:  “through his deputy the Imam would answer the demands and questions of the Shi'ah” (Islam Guidance). To the Muslims of Iran Muhammad al-Mahdi is the future savior to the Iranian Islamic culture and they believe one day he will return and be their messiah. Upon his return, it is believed that “the future will see a day when human society will be replete with justice and when all will live in peace and tranquility, when human beings will be fully possessed of virtue and perfection” (Islam Guidance). Ever since Muhammad became of this earth, man has thrived for perfection and peace, and if this were never possible it would not have been imprinted in the backbone of human nature. Just like if there were no water there would not be any thirst, if there were no pleasure there would not be any pain, Iranians believe that because the will of peace and tranquility lives on, there is a possibility that one day their savior will come down and bring justice and peace to everyone. To the religious Iranian There is only one savior, al-Mahdi Muhammad, and that after him: ”there will be no one in the future”(Islam Guidance) The return of al-Mahdi, to the religious Iranian, is an establishment of an everlasting society that firmly rests upon a strong moral, lawful, and peaceful social pillar that will be enforced by al-Mahdi’s benevolent Islamic hegemony.

Islamic belief is very similar to Catholic belief in that its members both believe in a sort of “judgment day.” It is believed in both religions that one day in the future the prophet of their religion will arise from a location removed from earth, and bring justice and tranquility to the world. To support Imam Mahdi's claim, Twelver Shi'as along with some other Muslim sects quote the following Hadith: "I and `Ali are the fathers of this nation; whoever knows us very well also knows Allah, and whoever denies us also denies Allah, the Unique, the Mighty. And from `Ali's descendants are my grandsons al-Hasan and al-Husayn, who are the masters of the youths of Paradise, and from al-Husayn's descendants shall be nine: whoever obeys them obeys me, and whoever disobeys them also disobeys me; the ninth among them is their Qa'im and Mahdi."[Al-Islam, 10]. It is more common than not to meet a person who believes that one day a savior will come and judge those who have sinned and reward those with faith. For many people, al-Mahdi represents more than just a religious man of great wisdom, power and drive, but also an idea that for many Iranians conveys a notion of striving for all that is just, moral and positive. With such attractive attributes, it is no wonder that Iran, with its relatively turbulent and fractured history embraces this apparent bringer of peace and united utopia.

WORKS CITED:

"12th Imam." Popular Issues - AllAboutPopularIssues.org. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Mar. 2013.                                                           <http://www.allaboutpopularissues.org/12th-imam.htm>.

"Al-Muraja'at." Al-Islam.org by the Ahlul Bayt DILP - Home. N.p., n.d. Web. 9 Apr. 2013. <http://www.al-islam.org/murajaat/62.htm>.

Bakash, Shaul “Iran” American Historical Review (1991): 1479-496. Web.

"Biography of Imam Mohammad al-Mahdi - Islam Guidance." Sibtayn. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Mar. 2013.             < http://www.sibtayn.com/en/?Itemid=467>.

"The Panjtan Society Youth Group."Panjtan.org. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Mar. 2013.                <http://www.panjtan.org.au/psyg/node/110>.

Persepolis

            The book “Persepolis” by Marijane Satrapi is a graphic novel following the life of the author’s memory of growing up in Iran as a little girl. This story closely follows the unique life of a little girl growing up in a country with rapid social changes. Each chapter seems to present a new lesson on the vastly differing ideologies present in Iran at the time. As this young girl grows up living through new experiences, and as she notices and ponders upon how her way of life she once knew was changing at a pace quite fast for a little girl, I developed a few opinions of my own.

Religious institutionalism slowly started to rise as she grew up and it was having a huge impact of her way of life. In the first chapter the author introduces veils in school, where little girls have to have their head hidden with a piece of cloth as a sign of respect to a patriarchal God. However in my opinion, wearing a veil is the opposite of showing respect to God or to men, what could be more disrespectful then hiding your true self. Furthermore, it is quite sexist to make a whole segment of a nations population to wear a certain cloth because of their gender. This young girl talks about revolution and revolt and how she yearns to be a part of it. The parents of this girl are dedicated protestors of the government in Iran, for they are educated and oppose the communist government that has taken over their government. This young girl speaks of religion and how she was “already sure [she] was the last prophet” (6). The author of this book had a wild imagination but above all believed in herself like no one else would. I find this unique characteristic of this child to be respectable if nothing else. How are others going to believe in you if you don’t even believe in yourself? There had never been a female prophet, but this young girl with optimism ignored everyone and wished for the best. If I was in this young girls place, I don’t know if I would have had the courage and bravery to stand up to my own countries social institution like she did. Everyone hopes that they would do the right thing in the time of justice, but truth is many people wouldn’t sacrifice their lives for the greater good or their own true opinion. I respect this young girl because she stood up for what she believed in for the good of the community. I personally never had the opportunity to stand up for what I truly believe in. I was lucky enough to be born a fortunate life and I am very grateful for that. However, so many of us are not that lucky and have to deal with what this girl did at such a young age and it is quite inspiring. If everyone could have the same courageousness as this girl, I believe the world would be a way better place. There are many important life lessons to take away from this book but a vital one is to be a strong individual who does not sacrifice their beliefs.

The Twelve Imams (Rough Draft)

The Twelve Imams

           

            To understand the context of the twelve imams, one must know what this translates to. The Twelve Imams in Arabic translated to the Twelve Leaders who generally lead others in prayer. The Imam of a community is known to enforce the laws of the Shariah. The Shariah is the religious laws and the basic fundamentals of principle set to Islam. The two primary sources of Shariah law derive from the Quran and the Islamic prophet Muhammad. (Explain 12 Imams)

“The twelfth imam lived in hiding under the protection and tutelage of his father until the latter’s death. Then he went into “occultation”. In other words, he became hidden from the eyes of ordinary men and appeared only to his Deputies. In the year 329/939 his “greater occultation” began. It will continue as long as God wills, but when he does appear once again, he will erase evil and injustice from the world. (http://www.najaf.org/english/book/7/appendix.htm)

(Incorporate Notes)

“Twelver Shi’ism – the form of Shi’ism dominant in Iran – holds that the leadership of the community passed from the prophet Muhammad to a serried of infallible imams, the twlfth of whom, the Mahdi, removed himself from this world in the ninth century. The Hidden Imam (or the Lord of Age) will return in fullness of time to establish the government of truth and justice. Shi’I jurists also held that during the absence of the hidden Imam, the vice-regency of the Imam and therefore the mantle of leadership  of the community fell to to the jurists, or mujtahids, themselves” (American Historical Review 1480).

Key Words

Imam, Shariah, Muhammad, Quran, Prophet, Leader, Justice, Shi’ites, Sunnis, Divine Wisdom. 

I am...

Most people know me by my birth name Ryan Andrew Lubell. I was born the morning of April 24, 1994 at Cedars-Sinai Hospital in Santa Monica, California. I have done a lot of traveling in my time, moving from Cheviot Hills, to Manhattan Beach, to Malibu and now finally Santa Cruz. I am one of six children, I have two full brothers, and my father just recently had triplets with my step mom. During the past couple years of my life I have learned many values from my parents, them having become both respected and successful entrepreneurs. I have learned through my parents’ achievements that hard work, discipline and dedication in the pursuit of what you love leads to immense success. I try to dwell on this mentality and spend substantial energy trying to apply it to every aspect of my life. I am always the kind of person that asks many questions in order to obtain a well rounded knowledge of various ideas, but I also do this to perceive complex concepts such as life and existence from all possible angles. While many with existentialist views can find themselves somewhat morose wile adhering to a detached perception the world, I find this kind of detachment to work as an advantage to look past one’s self in order to gain a better understanding of interpersonal attachment to others. I am a person big on interaction, I have the belief that communication can open the doors to many opportunities in life. One can never know whom they may meet at any moment in time so I take on the outlook that a conversation can be a key factor in navigating society, whether it be with friends or strangers. I learn through experience, not just by going into a classroom and listening to someone speak, but rather by communicating and conversing with other peers.

I am a human, I have flaws and I am not perfect. I am a man who works hard to provide for myself the best I can. I know what it means to be devoted and to be passionate about something. I was raised to know morals, be polite and treat others how you would want to be treated. I am born Jewish, however I don’t feel bound to the religion of my parents. I am a person who is Atheist and the grand majority of my faith rests on science. I like to have proven theories and explanations delineating the world instead of some vacuous antiquarian mysticism. I am very passionate about movies, select sports, games, traveling and cooking. I think of myself as a very relaxed and mellow person. I always find myself just doing things as they come and living life as it happens. My father always told me one of my greatest attributes is how forward I am. He would always tell me “You are just like me, you are a realist, you call a dog a dog.” Forever these words will ring through my head like a beat of a drum, for I believe forwardness will get a man places. I look forward to life and to learning in every class and to expanding and broadening my intellect. I am Ryan Lubell.