Freedom Riders

Research Question-Proposal

How has the Islamic Republic of Iran been able to enforce such harsh treatment to its criminals without revolution?

When did the treatment of the Iranians become so poor? Why don't the people stand up for each other? What does the future hold for alleged criminals in Iran?

Tentative Research Proposal

1. I would like to study and research the multiple human rights violations committed in the Islamic Republic of Iran. I would like to specifically research the treatment of prisoners and alleged criminals.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_rights_in_the_Islamic_Republic_of_Iran
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/iran_stoning

Does Iran have a similar human rights system as the Constitution?
What impact does the Iranian government have in the prison systems?
What other specific examples portray the inhumane treatment of Iranian prisoners?
How many other people have been stoned to death in Iran in such graphic fashion? 

Maus Reflection

The most interesting parts of the first half of this piece came in the descriptions of the cruelty committed in Auschwitz. Vladek's description of the gas chambers and the guards sounds frightening and disturbing. in today's world, it is not possible to fully imagine or know what it must have been like to be a prisoner of Auschwitz.

"We pulled the bodies apart with hooks. Big piles, with strongest on top, older ones and babies crushed below...often the skulls were smashed."

"Their fingers were broken from trying to climb up the walls...and sometimes their arms were as long as their bodies, pulled from the sockets."

These two quotes really stood out to me. These quotes are disturbing. I cannot believe this truly happened. The world was a frightening place back then.

Congo Today

Today's Congo is being raped in two different manners. One manner involves the actual rape and seduction of women and children. The second type of rape is the rape of the Congo's precious natural resources. Much war and mass killings is resulting from the manipulation and seduction of the Congolese people.
http://www.democracynow.org/blog/2008/1/24/the_invisible_war

In Africa today, there is a conflict that is the deadliest since World War II. Women are the victims of rape. They are being sold to make profit and are seen as sub-human. More than 500,000 Africans have left their homes and villages to escape battle and mass killings in the past year. This is a devastatingly destructive period of time in the Congo.
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/01/11/60minutes/main3701249.shtml

Let it Linger

1. Where did Leopold's manipulative behavior come from? How much of an impact does Leopold's separation from his daughters have on his activity in the Congo?

2. We fully examined each question and deliberated nicely. We all talked and shared our opinions. We could have dug deeper on some of the questions and connected a lot more.

Response to King Leopold's Ghost

"All these European impulses toward Africa ---antislavery zeal, the search for raw materials, Christian evangelism, and sheer curiosity --- were embodied in one man, David Livingstone" (Hochschild 28).


This quote really stuck out to me. As we learned from the last packet on Imperialism, the many attractions toward Africa included raw materials, to spread the Christian faith, to end slavery, and curiosity. I did not know that Livingstone devoted much of his life in Africa and is recognized as being a huge part of British interest in African territory. He is also part of the reason for Henry Morton Stanley's great adventure into Africa, where he based most of his future writings and pieces from.

What is Stanley's adventure into Africa truly like?
What is the deal with Stanley's spontaneous accounts of fiction in his writings?
Were the European powers being completely selfish when trying to take control of parts of Africa?