All In- Lifehouse

The way I understood the lyrics is that the speaker had trouble committing to a relationship and through the song the speaker made the decision to not give up and try his hardest.  He says that he felt alone and far away then he took a hold of reality and took down his barriers or what keep them apart.  He decides that he will do everything even if it ends and he has nothing to hide. There is repetition throughout the song.  He says that the relationship is too strong and it can not end.
However even though it is obvious that the song is about a relationship I feel like certain parts can be thought of in a different way.  Like when the speaker says "no way I'm giving up this time", it can be applied in life to not give up and keep going. Also when he says, "I'm all in for life", it can be interpreted as that he will commit himself to the relationship or that he will commit himself to life.  There are other parts of the song that seem to not necessarily speak of a relationship.  "Even if I lose the game, I'm all in, I'm all in for life", it could apply to any situation in life that even if you do not win or get your way you have to participate in life.

On the Reservation

Frankly I don't know much about reservations I didn't even know there were any still in existence.  I admire Native Americans because many of them live in reservations and even though they have all the reasons to resent people because their land, animals, and a lot of their people were taken away from them.  However they continue to live and follow their culture. Usually when a group of people is conquered they tend to lose everything and give up their way of life.  Native Americans didn't they continue to live the way they believe is right.
I think it would be an amazing experience to live in a reservation to learn their ways and see the world in a different way than we do.  An important lesson that we all have to learn is to share.  From when we're little kids if someone tries to take away a toy from we stay it is ours.  I think in order for us to coexist with all people and to have a good relationship with them we must all rid ourselves of that ideology where we can own something.  We can think that we all live on this earth and all enjoy its resources none of it has to necessarily belong to one person or group.

Propaganda

Propaganda
–noun

1.

information, ideas, or rumors deliberately spread widely to help or harm a person, group, movement, institution, nation, etc. (dictionary.reference.com)

 

There's still propaganda about a lot of different issues.  However I feel that they no longer seen like a big deal because it is common to speak ones mind.  Now it isn't uncommon to find articles about any topic you can imagine and they are al opinions about a certain topic.  There's still propaganda but it isn't seen as that important or revolutionay because there are so many.  However I don't think it should be calld propaganda anymore.  The definition says that propaganda is to help or harm something but now most of the articles or messages I've seen is more just so that people know and doesn't really demand any direct action from people. While there are some that do they aren't as exposed as others.

 

Black Boy

I found it really interesting when Richard's grandma thought that he saw and angel and announced it to the whole church.  He said that he felt sorry for the elder because he had hope that he did see something.  The way I interpret the feelings that the church had in that moment was utter joy.  I think because they all have a very strict religious life, to actually see or hear about something that justifies everything they do and believe was what they were looking for.  Him seeing an angel would have made them think that it was all worthwhile.  To see how the grandmother was so happy and then disillusioned.  Even after she had the hope that he would pray and go to God.
I like the way that Richard says that he would believe if he felt it or saw something that would prove to him that there is a God. I know that for me personally because it was never forced for me to pray or practice religion I need to feel it or see something amazing so that I can even think that there's a God.  If I saw an angel or a miracle like he says than I think I wouldn't question anymore either. 

Alone or Lonely

I believe Richard is not alone in his cravings.  He is lonely but he is not alone.  There is a difference between being alone and feeling lonely.  He isn't alone in his suffering because his mother is also suffering and so is his brother.  They are all hungry not just him.  While it may seem that it's only him but this is only because he is talking about his experience because he can't talk about what his mom or brother were feeling or experiencing.  So not he's not alone it may feel that way to him because he can't understand what is happening and why but he is not the only one.  Richard is going through some really hard situations that are to much for him.  He's going through poverty, hunger, and has mixed feelings about his father.
When we as humans are going through tough situations we feel that we are the only ones but we are not.  Because our situation doesn't just affect us but the people around us to.  Like for example if parents are going through a divorce the parents may be having a hard time but they're not the only ones affected so are the children and the other family members.  What affects one person affects others indirectly and in some cases directly.

How it feels to be colored me

Zora tells about how she has felt different things at different times.  For example at times she feels colored and at times she just feels like herself.  She talks about the time she stopped being Zora and became colored this was when she went to school in Jacksonville which was majority white.  That was when she became colored. I think that it's less common for us Americans to have a similar experience because now there is of every race. But I think we've all been in at least one situation when we were the only one of our race and for that reason identified ourselves as that. Kind of like when we're with family, I don't identify myself as Mexican-American when I'm with my family it's either Maggie or Magaly.  It doesn't even pass my mind.  It's when we're around different races that we consider ourselves different.  I think that's the experience that Zora had.
I like the way that she handles her life as she reminds me of my mother.  She says that each of her ancestors have paid or contributed to what she has now and that she must not stop but continue and live.  She must not be angry or feel depressed. My mother also believes something similar which is why she avoids talking about topics that bring up the conflicts of the past. "Ya paso no hay nada que puedes hacer, se feliz." This is what my mom tells me whenever I get to passionate about a topic of the past.  She says it already happened and there's nothing I can do about it so I might as well be happy then she laughs at me.  It's not that she's ignorant or doesn't realize that her ancestors have all contributed to everything that she has today.  Instead she thinks that because of their struggles we should enjoy life and be happy.  I think this is similar to how Zora feels about it.
It also seems that Zora has no limits.  She doesn't restrain herself by saying that she's an American citizen or colored but rather widens her world by saying that she is a fragment of the Great Soul that surges within the boundaries.  I feel that even if she may have had some hardships she has ignored them or not taken them personally and enjoyed herself a lesson we all have to learn. : )

King?

In the letter that King Jr. wrote from Birmingham jail he expressed many ideas which I believe were enormously influential in our history to create the society in which we live.  However I think that his ideas were misunderstood in a way.  He was proposing for every human to live unsegregated and I think we still haven't accomplished that in today's society.  While there has been major improvement in the way Negroes are treated I feel that Martin Luther King Jr. wasn't just fighting for them I think he was fighting for all of us trying to free us from the stereotypes and ideas that keep us apart from living peacefully.  There is still segregation and racism however it's not obvious and ignored.
For example why is it that before I came to high school I've never talked to a white person except for my new eight grade teacher?  Why is it that in my elementary school there were only Hispanics and African Americans?  If there is truly no segregation then why do we continue to separate ourselves? For example when I asked my grandfather why he picked the house he lives in he replied that because all his neighbors were Hispanic.  While I can see how it's easier in a way to connect to someone of your own race because we're from the same origin or are aware of the pain or culture that our ethnicity has experienced or has, shouldn't it be possible for us to feel connected to people of other races?  We're all humans and have feelings such as compassion, love, appreciation.  I think that we should work towards a goal were we do not see each other in terms of race or color but rather as the wonderful human being that we are.  When we are no longer separated in our minds and see ourselves as one with everyone surrounding us that is when I believe that we would have accomplished Marting Luther King Jr.'s goal.

Success is not final; failure is not fatal; it is the courage to continue that counts.

— Sir Winston Churchill