Response to Group Annotated Bibliography

The first source I read was a poem by Alice Walker named Calling All Grand Mothers. The poem attempts to empower grand mothers and tries to inspire them to become leaders and think differently about life and change their thoughts on the world. I thought the main reason that Walker wrote the poem is because she recognized the connections that the elders in a society have a lot to say about whether or not the people younger than them accept changes to their lives and thoughts. This is primarily because if someone is old and has lived their entire life with a set of social norms and ideas than they are less likely to change how they think than a young person. However, if they do, than it shows that anyone is capable of change, especially those who are younger than them.

The second source I analyzed was a TedTalk with Martin Rees from March of this year. Rees describes how with the way things are currently going, humankind is doomed for good, in much thanks to the misuse of biotechnology. A big point Rees makes is that the mentality of someone who helps is a huge deciding factor as to whether or not someone helps, and achieving this mentality is simple; one simply needs to decide they will help. I think this kind of logic can be applied to anything. In order to continue learning at an increasing rate after high school, one just needs to decide to go to college. Once they’re here, they become absorbed with their education and are forced into doing work due to grades and a competitive environment, where they may or may not have done this by trying to read and use online resources in their own time at home. I think the same logic applies for people who join international development organizations.

The third source was a photocollage by László Sós and Éva Kémeny made in 1982. The photocollage displays American commercialism well, while drawing a disappointing connection between the contrasts of lifestyles of those in the developed and undeveloped world. Unfortunately, donations to third-world countries from large corporations in the United States are usually used to control the American market for a product by building the corporation's image.

The last source I used was a narrative of a member of the USAID. The man basically dedicates his entire life to helping people for a cause he believed in. Even through post-traumatic stress disorder and the constant disapproval of several governments, he refused to stop fighting for what he belived in. While this a good example of someone going against what others say to fight for their cause, many times this sort of action can be malicious. It’s important if you're someone who is hellbent on their goals like the man above to look at both sides of the argument at hand and make sure you are doing the right thing.

Works Cited

Staff, Harriet. "Alice Walker, Health, Happiness, and Sanity." Poetry Foundation. Poetry Foundation, n.d. Web. 13 Oct. 2014.

Rees, Martin. "Can We Prevent the End of the World?" Martin Rees:. TedTalks, Mar. 2014. Web. 13 Oct. 2014.

Sós, László, and Éva Kémeny. "László Sós, Éva Kémeny. Fido Pâtée Pour Chats (1982)." MoMA.org. N.p., 1982. Web. 13 Oct. 2014.

Johnson, Kirk W. "The List." Guernica / A Magazine of Art & Politics. N.p., 15 Aug. 2013. Web. 13 Oct. 2014.