I-search

Kristen Shryack

Honors English II

9, May 2011

Imperialism

What I Know

In the middle of the semester, my history class did a unit on imperialism. It was brief, but I did learn from it. I knew that Europeans drastically changed the ways in which they live. They considered themselves superior because of how ‘civilized’ they were. They thought people of countries who weren’t industrialized, as almost barbaric. Europeans made it their duty to change them into a mirror image of them and the way they lived. They changed their culture and religion, and in a short time as well.

It didn’t take very long for the world to transform the weapons used in war, the transportation, and the use of earth’s natural resources. It spread quickly and rapidly and the world would never again go back to its old ways but rather, continue transforming in new and unique ways. The story of which this took place where trains, coal, and steel were becoming of use, is the basis of my report.

What I Want to Know

I picked imperialism because it is an interesting and cruel stage of our history. I live where there used to be millions of Native Americans. Now I know of only a few. I’m curious to know where they went and why it was so easy to make them a minority.

I want to know the different sides to imperialism. I want to get inside the heads of Europeans and understand why they did some of the crimes they commited. I want to learn if they tried to change the ways of natives out of selfishness or if they actually cared about advancing their intelligence. I want to know if there was more to it then just to help their conscience. I also want to know why violence was involved and also how much.

The different views I will be collecting are an article from a newspaper in Britain, an interview from a World History teacher, and also a book on imperialism that includes peoples’ stories from that time.

The Search

Book

Bonnie G. Smith wrote the book Imperialism A History In Documents. It was published in New York, New York by the Oxford University Press in 2000. This book explains the history of Europe and Immperialism around the world.

The book explains how imperialism used to be looked as how the Europeans gave ‘culture and political institutions’ to the natives allowing them to take over quickly. People looked back thinking that Europeans cured their savage ways. Instead, imperialism brought chaos by trying to convert cultures and a large amount of death. In the United States, millions of natives died from war with the Europeans as well as disease they had brought with them that they were not immune to. They took their land and pushed the natives into reservations. The area of Alaska had similar violence involved from the Russians. United States experienced rapid industrialization.

Imperialism came with the thought that their ways were the right ways and modern ways to keep from being barbaric. They tried, and often succeeded, changing the cultures of other societies. One culture that they changed was footbinding in China where women thought they were beautiful by breaking their feet and tightly binding them to make them smaller than the size of a teacup. A woman in 1903 wrote about her experience the change of the culture. She was onboard and motivated to stop binding her feet. It helped her gain self respect and enroll in Literary Society School by how impressed she was about a speech against footbinding.

Scholars in imperial countries studied the ways that people looked for studies of evolution to decide whether the people in those countries were “evolved” or not. They believed they had racial superiority by how developed they were and how much of a gap they had between them and people who weren’t industrialized.

Article

Andrew Thomson and Nick Lloyd wrote opposing viewpoints for the article, “Is Britain to blame for many of the world’s problems?” It was found in BBC News and explains the negative and positive effects of imperialism.

Nick Lloyd argued how imperialism was good for other countries by allowing them the knowledge they needed to grow and become prosperous. He used India as an example by explaining how they were able to build a strong government and succeeded by doing business around the world. This thanks to the Europeans because they oversaw “the spread of good government, western education, modern medicine and the rule of law, they also put in place local works, famine relief, and irrigation projects.” He goes on to explain how sure, they weren’t the nicest and understanding, but their presence was benefitted on both sides. The downside was that these kinds of benefits seemed to only come from India.

Andrew Thomson shows how the Europeans were brutal and the negative sides that imperialism had such as “detention without trial, beatings, torture, and killings.” Many natives also faced diseases that were brought on them by the Europeans. He went on to explain that these behaviors continued in the cultures later on that were not there before. It led to the populations of countries to become dependent on other countries in Europe for resources to keep up with the new changes that imperialism came with. It was very vague and didn’t give to much insight other than the torture and mistreat that many natives faced.

The article reinforced some of the ideas that I already had. Imperialism has two sides. It came with positive and negative effects. I learned specifically what the outcomes had been with India and how successful India had become with the help of Europe and imperialism. I also realized how the natives were taken advantage of.

Interview

Mr. Zuberbier is a World History teacher for sophomores at Youngker High School. I have personally had him as a teacher and he definitely knows what he’s talking about when it comes to history. He was my first choice to interview because the topic of imperialism is one he knows well. The interview took place in his classroom on May 9, 2011 after school.

I started off with asking him “Why did Europe feel the need to civilize other countries with imperialism?” He responded by explaining that originally Europeans used them for cheap labor and resources. It wasn’t until much later that they tried to change the ways of the natives. He went on to explain that Europeans believed that inside every native was a white man trying to get out. He explained to me about ways the natives tried to look like white man by changing the way they dressed, their hair styles, and even going as far as bleaching their skin. White man also felt that ‘civilizing’ them would “justify morally suspect things” as he put it. Sure, they benefited by their resources but believed that the natives benefited as well by becoming like them. I went on to ask, “How did the natives respond to the culture change and having to convert to Christianity? They must’ve rejected it by thinking their God was as mean and cruel as them, right?” He smiled and said “That’s a good question.” For a moment, it looked like I had stumped him, but then he reminded me of how much more the Europeans had. They must have assumed that their God had blessed them and was happy with them. If they did as the white man did, they would be blessed as well. They also realized that the quicker they adapted, the better they would be treated. My following question was, “Do you think imperialism was a good thing and helped them in the long run?” His response was, “Well it all depends on the way you look at it and people have different opinions.” I was quick to say, “Well what’s your opinion?” He realized that he would have to choose a side and ended up choosing yes because “It would bring the world up to speed to compete.” He used India as an example with how rapidly they have developed and how they are a leading competitor in technology, but he also mentioned a counterexample such as Africa who suffered from imperialism and is still having a hard time catching up. He also mentioned the early devastation that came along with imperialism. Their tribes were split up and combined with others. Their culture was taken away. They had to learn English and give up their language. I mentioned how natives in America on reservations get a huge paycheck from the government. Wouldn’t that be a benefit? He said it’s because how bad we feel for what we’ve done. It has also become something that they are dependent on and can’t live without. He went on to tell about a time when he taught in Apache. He had two students who literally didn’t do anything in his class. They told him that once they reached a certain age, the government would pay them, and they would be dependent on that as their income. It keeps them from learning to be independent and serves as a crutch. He compared it to welfare saying it once was a good idea, but now people don’t have the need to try to make something of themselves with that regular paycheck from the government. It was an interesting conversation and I got all that I needed. He answered my questions, and I got a chance to learn about my topic.

What I Learned

This topic was harder to research than I expected. It’s very broad and there are more than just a few perspectives. However, I learned of positive effects that I wasn’t expecting. There was more to it than just the harm brought to the natives. The help that Europeans brought exceeded expectations. Other countries that couldn’t’ before, can now compete with inventions and technology. It doesn’t make the Europeans cruelty okay, but at least some good came out of it. I believe that without imperialism, the world would be very different from the way we know it.

Bibliography

Smith, Bonnie. Imperialism A History in Documents. New York: Oxford University Press, 2000. Print. May 10, 2011.

Lloyd, Nick and Thompson, Andrew. Is Britain to blame for many of the world’s problems? BBC News. May 10, 2011.

Zuberbier, Dan. Personal Interview. May 9, 2011.

Original Poem By Kristen Shryack

Key Slam Poem

I had this key to all my hopes and dreams.

It was colorful, big, and bright.

Each angled edge was drastic and defined.

The key unlocked so many phenomenal things.

I could do anything

While accomplishing everything.

But as I got older, that key got dull by words that were said to me

By things that were so called ‘reality.’

It was time to fit into the real world and that key didn’t fit into dreams.

There was a right way and a wrong way, no in between

If you didn’t follow commands, your life had no meaning

We were told ‘No’ repeatedly

And they were proud when we told them what they told us

However the rounded edges fit into the world, into conformity.

It was the same key but it had a new purpose.

Changing its form made me more than nervous

It had to fit and turn on demand.

Anything without logic was officially banned.

My creativity was lost and nowhere to be found.

My key no longer fit where it was originally bound.

It feared to be sharp with my ideas and thoughts

It became dull with cliché terms and things we were taught.

There was more to becoming the rounded and dull

The reasons ran dark and deep

Rules that conformity would hold and keep

Memories with the sharp key seemed so much greater

Fate hadn’t come until much later

In a time when we all had those rigid edges yet to be tamed

Before our imagination was forced to burn in flames.

Society was the new lock and creativity was tossed aside.

The use for creativity had long ago died

But I miss those days as a child

Before I had to awaken

Before the world took me by hand and my perspective was shaken       

What ifs no longer dance inside my head

That nonsense was soon put to shreads

A wish became bizarre

A key to unlock that was no more

Boogeyman Not So Bad

Hiding under your bed, lays the Boogeyman, not to scare you or harm you, but instead for a safe place to rest and lay his head at night. We humans think everything has to do with us, but the Boogeyman doesn’t have any interest in you in or your family. He likes the bed above him and the soft carpet soft against his fur, similar to a tree canopying up above or grass on the ground. Your hard plastic toys that you’ve shoved under the bed are a reminder of where rocks used to be. What happened to that home in the forest? Trees were cut down, vegetation was exiled. Buildings and new creations came in. This was his home before it was ever yours.

Favorite Poems

Most Beautiful
To a Daughter Leaving Home
Linda Pastan

When I taught you
at eight to ride
a bicycle, loping along
beside you
as you wobbled away
on two round wheels,
my own mouth rounding
in surprise when you pulled
ahead down the curved
path of the park,
I kept waiting
for the thud
of your crash as I
sprinted to catch up,
while you grew
smaller, more breakable
with distance,
pumping, pumping
for your life, screaming
with laughter,
the hair flapping
behind you like a
handkerchief waving
goodbye.


I like this poem beacase of how it shows the connection between a mother and a daughter as the daughter starts to become more independent.
Favorite lines- my own mouth rounding
in surprise when you pulled
I selected it because it reminds me of when my mother taught me how to ride a bike and how proud she had been.I feel a connection with this poem.


Most Shocking
Rape
Adrienne Rich

There is a cop who is both prowler and father:
he comes from your block, grew up with your brothers,
had certain ideals.
You hardly know him in his boots and silver badge,
on horseback, one hand touching his gun.
You hardly know him but you have to get to know him:
he has access to machinery that could kill you.
He and his stallion clop like warlords among the trash,
his ideals stand in the air, a frozen cloud
from between his unsmiling lips.
And so, when the time comes, you have to turn to him,
the maniac's sperm still greasing your thighs,
your mind whirling like crazy. You have to confess
to him, you are guilty of the crime
of having been forced.
And you see his blue eyes, the blue eyes of all the family
whom you used to know, grow narrow and glisten,
his hand types out the details
and he wants them all
but the hysteria in your voice pleases him best.
You hardly know him but now he thinks he knows you:
he has taken down your worst moment
on a machine and filed it in a file.
He knows, or thinks he knows, how much you imagined;
he knows, or thinks he knows, what you secretly wanted.
He has access to machinery that could get you put away;
and if, in the sickening light of the precinct,
and if, in the sickening light of the precinct,
your details sound like a portrait of your confessor,
will you swallow, will you deny them, will you lie your way home?

This poem is so shocking and disgusting. It's horrifying and I don't know what I'd do in that situation.
Favorite lines- but the hysteria in your voice pleases him best.Most Emotive
Alzeimer's
Bob Hocok

Chairs move by themselves, and books.
Grandchildren visit, stand
new and nameless, their faces' puzzles
missing pieces. She's like a fish

in deep ocean, its body made of light.
She floats through rooms, through
my eyes, an old woman bereft
of chronicle, the parable of her life.

And though she's almost a child
there's still blood between us:
I passed through her to arrive.
So I protect her from knives,

stairs, from the street that calls
as rivers do, a summons to walk away,
to follow. And dress her,
demonstrate how buttons work,

when she sometimes looks up
and says my name, the sound arriving
like the trill of a bird so rare
it's rumored no longer to exist.

This is a poem about how an old woman starts forgetting things and how it controls her due to a disease. It's scary and sad at the same time.

Favorite lines-Grandchildren visit, stand
new and nameless, their faces' puzzles
I selected it because it has a lot of emotion to it. A relative is helping her as the woman forgets her name and simple tasks. I feel sorry for her and have a great amount of sympathy for them because there isn't anything that they can do about it or any reason that they deserve this.

Most Thought-Provoking

Sidekicks

Ronald Koertge

They were never handsome and often came
with a hormone imbalance manifested by corpulence,
a yodel of a voice or ears big as kidneys.

But each was brave. More than once a sidekick
has thrown himself in front of our hero in order
to receive the bullet or blow meant for that
perfect face and body.

Thankfully, heroes never die in movies and leave
the sidekick alone. He would not stand for it.
Gabby or Pat, Pancho or Andy remind us of a part
of ourselves,

the dependent part that can never grow up,
the part that is painfully eager to please,
always wants a hug and never gets enough.

Who could sit in a darkened theatre, listen
to the organ music and watch the best
of ourselves lowered into the ground while
the rest stood up there, tears pouring off
that enormous nose.

This poem gives a new outlook on sidekicks. It shows from their point of view of which most wouldn't consider thinking about.

Favorite lines-

But each was brave. More than once a sidekick
has thrown himself in front of our hero in order
to receive the bullet or blow meant for that
perfect face and body.

I like it because it allows me to see the sidekick as the real hero. It gives me a compassion for sidekicks.

Most Humorous

Lanyard

Billy Collins

The other day I was ricocheting slowly
off the blue walls of this room,
moving as if underwater from typewriter to piano,
from bookshelf to an envelope lying on the floor,
when I found myself in the L section of the dictionary
where my eyes fell upon the word lanyard.

No cookie nibbled by a French novelist
could send one into the past more suddenly—
a past where I sat at a workbench at a camp
by a deep Adirondack lake
learning how to braid long thin plastic strips
into a lanyard, a gift for my mother.

I had never seen anyone use a lanyard
or wear one, if that’s what you did with them,
but that did not keep me from crossing
strand over strand again and again
until I had made a boxy
red and white lanyard for my mother.

She gave me life and milk from her breasts,
and I gave her a lanyard.
She nursed me in many a sick room,
lifted spoons of medicine to my lips,
laid cold face-cloths on my forehead,
and then led me out into the airy light

and taught me to walk and swim,
and I, in turn, presented her with a lanyard.
Here are thousands of meals, she said,
and here is clothing and a good education.
And here is your lanyard, I replied,
which I made with a little help from a counselor.

Here is a breathing body and a beating heart,
strong legs, bones and teeth,
and two clear eyes to read the world, she whispered,
and here, I said, is the lanyard I made at camp.
And here, I wish to say to her now,
is a smaller gift—not the worn truth

that you can never repay your mother,
but the rueful admission that when she took
the two-tone lanyard from my hand,
I was as sure as a boy could be
that this useless, worthless thing I wove
out of boredom would be enough to make us even.

This poem shows how much a mother does for her child, and although he can probably never repay her for all that she's done, she accepts small gifts as if they're the most precious thing in the world.

Favorite lines- Here are thousands of meals, she said,
and here is clothing and a good education.
And here is your lanyard, I replied,
I selected it because it interests me. I like how it shows how loving a mother can be and then be so grateful for something so small. I feel like it's a sweet funny way to look at things.

Most Inspiring

Phenominal Woman

Maya Angelou

Pretty women wonder where my secret lies.
I'm not cute or built to suit a fashion model's size
But when I start to tell them,
They think I'm telling lies.
I say,
It's in the reach of my arms
The span of my hips,
The stride of my step,
The curl of my lips.
I'm a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That's me.

I walk into a room
Just as cool as you please,
And to a man,
The fellows stand or
Fall down on their knees.
Then they swarm around me,
A hive of honey bees.
I say,
It's the fire in my eyes,
And the flash of my teeth,
The swing in my waist,
And the joy in my feet.
I'm a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That's me.

Men themselves have wondered
What they see in me.
They try so much
But they can't touch
My inner mystery.
When I try to show them
They say they still can't see.
I say,
It's in the arch of my back,
The sun of my smile,
The ride of my breasts,
The grace of my style.
I'm a woman

Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That's me.

Now you understand
Just why my head's not bowed.
I don't shout or jump about
Or have to talk real loud.
When you see me passing
It ought to make you proud.
I say,
It's in the click of my heels,
The bend of my hair,
the palm of my hand,
The need of my care,
'Cause I'm a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That's me.

It's a strong confident poem about a woman who knows who she is.

Favorite lines-It's the fire in my eyes,
And the flash of my teeth,
The swing in my waist,
And the joy in my feet.
I chose this poem because it reminds me that people are attracted to people who are happy. People love me most when I have that spark in eye and fire in my soul. I feel motivated to just be me.

Most Interesting Sylistically

The Death of Santa Claus

Charles Webb

He's had the chest pains for weeks,
but doctors don't make house
calls to the North Pole,

he's let his Blue Cross lapse,
blood tests make him faint,
hospital gown always flap

open, waiting rooms upset
his stomach, and it's only
indigestion anyway, he thinks,

until, feeding the reindeer,
he feels as if a monster fist
has grabbed his heart and won't

stop squeezing. He can't
breathe, and the beautiful white
world he loves goes black,

and he drops on his jelly belly
in the snow and Mrs. Claus
tears out of the toy factory

wailing, and the elves wring
their little hands, and Rudolph's
nose blinks like a sad ambulance

light, and in a tract house
in Houston, Texas, I'm 8,
telling my mom that stupid

kids at school say Santa's a big
fake, and she sits with me
on our purple-flowered couch,

and takes my hand, tears
in her throat, the terrible
news rising in her eyes.

This is a poem about the death of Santa in child's heart. It's very clever and is what many kids go through.

Favorite lines-telling my mom that stupid

kids at school say Santa's a big
fake, and she sits with me

I chose this poem because it reminds me of a time in second grade when the class was divided yelling at eachother whether or not Santa was real. When I found out from my mom, I was heartbroken and embarrassed about the argument. I was also hurt and confused as to why a parent would lie to their child for so long. Was it to prove how gullible or trusting we are? I relate to this poem because I felt anger towards those who didn't believe as well.

Most Musical

Alone

Edgar Allen Poe

From childhood's hour I have not been
As others were--I have not seen
As others saw--I could not bring
My passions from a common spring--
From the same source I have not taken
My sorrow--I could not awaken
My heart to joy at the same tone--
And all I lov'd--I lov'd alone--
Then--in my childhood--in the dawn
Of a most stormy life--was drawn
From ev'ry depth of good and ill
The mystery which binds me still--
From the torrent, or the fountain--
From the red cliff of the mountain--
From the sun that 'round me roll'd
In its autumn tint of gold--
From the lightning in the sky
As it pass'd me flying by--
From the thunder, and the storm--
And the cloud that took the form
(When the rest of Heaven was blue)
Of a demon in my view--

Favorite lines- My heart to joy at the same tone--
And all I lov'd--I lov'd alone--
I chose this poem because the sound it has to it. The rhythm and rhyme gives it an interesting

appeal. I like this poem because it's unusually dark when talking about a childhood.

You hardly know him but now he thinks he knows you
It's one the most shocking poems I've read and makes me disgusted. It relates to my biggest fear and make me uncomfortable.

Picture and Sex Trafficking

     The dogs chase after the jackrabbit as people in the sex trafficking business go after their next victim. To them, it's just a piece of meat that leaves them satisfied. They see it as lesser to them, almost as prey. This is just how the dogs see the jackrabbit. The jackrabbit, or in our case the woman, is helpless and innocent. The predator is not careful to think of the prey's interests or even care to see it as another living creature, but cruelty blurs their eyes and they fail to recognize that. The exception is dogs are only doing what nature intended, the people in the sex trafficking business however, aren't.

My Song :) I'm Not Alright Sanctus Real

Extra Ticket to Japan

   "Hey, um Brandy?"
   "Yes?" she replied hesitantly.
   "You know that trip to Japan that I'm going on?"
   "Yeah. What about it? I'm going to know the full details for my parents in order to go. You said you could bring a friend, right?"
   "Right, but I was thinking about taking Abby. I spend a lot of time with you in the summer, but I'll hardly see her with camp, youth, if I get a job, and for when she goes to Michigan. It's the only time we could have a chance to spend together."
   "She has you during the school year. Breaks are my only Kreesten time. Anthony and Sean had to learn that."
   "Yes, but in the school year, I still see you twice a week. I never see her on breaks."
   "No. We decided a long time ago that breaks are my time and school is Abby's and everyone else's time."
   "Ugh. I feel like a kid with divorced parents!"
   "You ARE a kid with divorced parents."
   "Oh yeah."
   "Fine, but remember, I'm probably better at getting around. Does Abby know how to take care of you? Does she know your difficult eating habits? Does she know how to deal with your morning mood swings? Does she realize that you're most grumpy when you're hungry? Can she handle you after a week? Does she-"
   "Hey! You can stop now! Geez. You act like I'm difficult to be with or something."
   "You are."
   "No I'm not! Well anyways, I'm taking Abby."
   "Alright. Have fun in Japan." She said doubtfully.