Indiference vs. Silence

Indifference vs. Silence

          How are these two connected?  What, if anything, do they have in common? When these two different words are spoken they are rarely used as synonyms. Rarely are they even thought of in the same context.  It is my hope that these two words would change the way we conduct ourselves on a daily basis.

          The dictionary definition for indifference means to lack interest or concern; unimportant.  The definition of silence means absence of any sound or noise, stillness, the state or fact of being silent. These two words do not equate to similar meanings, but they are uses synonymously to express two devastating moments in history.

In a letter written by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. he is saddened by the silence of the so called good people.  As he participated in many protests and actively tried to persuade men with any power to finally stop the emotional and physical abuses toward black men, women and children. During his endeavor he met people that he would not consider to be bad or evil, only silent.  He found that there were people around him that would not condone the suppression that blacks were suffering and yet they were silent to what was going on around him. In his letter to the clergymen at Birmingham he states “We will have to repent in this generation not merely for the hateful words and actions of the bad people but to the appalling silence of the good people.” (Goshgarian)

The silence that he was speaking of was actual silence but it also was symbolic of indifference in this specific case.  Those that sat in silence and watched while blacks were suppressed were in fact indifferent to their existence in general.  They simply made no sound, no noise, no uprising in regards to the injustices that fellow mankind were suffering. In the full sense of the term they were indifferent. 

In a speech made by a Holocaust survivor he spoke of indifference directly. He related the indifference to some of the people to the world to the silence that Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. spoke of in his letter. There were people that knew what was happening and yet they still maintained commerce with Hitler. He equates indifference with silence when he states that “indifference elicits no response” (History Place), it provokes a silence. Both of these scenarios represent the ability of humanity to be inhumane.

I am always appalled by the fact that so many men were drawn into Hitler’s ideology and showed a complete indifference for life. To be able to separate families while knowing the fate of each man, woman and child is indifference at its most despicable state.  How a man could support such despicable acts on humanity is beyond my comprehension.  I cannot comprehend such depravity apart from an extreme case of indifference.

In the case of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. the same is true but in a much different sense of the word.  Although I cannot personally imagine myself trying to enforce such laws as black only and whites only I do wonder what side I would be on in a place and time when the cultural norm was prejudice. Would I be indifferent to people because I had accepted what was always know?

Works Cited

Goshgarian, Gary. Exploring Language. New York: Pearson, 2010.

History Place. 2011. 25 February 2011 <http://www.historyplace.com/speeches/wiesel.htm>.

Illiteracy

To Be Illiterate

By Marie

If you have ever been to court you know what it’s like sitting there waiting for your name to be called.  It’s the perfect place for nosey people due to the fact that everything is said out loud, there is no privacy.  It’s like being on the set of a sitcom.

As I sat there trying not to be interested in my fellow citizens dilemmas, there was a man that was called up to be next.  The judge called his name and pointed to a young lady standing in line.  He very eagerly went over and stood right by her. I should take a moment to tell you that the first thing the judge explained was that once you are called to the front you make a single file line in the isle way and she will see four people in a single file line.  That said; you can see the frustration of the judge when the man stood right next to the first lady called. 

The judge waved him over to the isle, only he did not understand that part so he just got closer to the lady.  At that point the judge yelled “What are you doing? Get away from her!”  The bailiff took him by the arm and helped him to his spot.  When it was finally his turn, he told the judge that he needed a Persian interpreter.  Ah Ha!  Now it made sense.  He didn’t understand anything going on around him!

I couldn’t stop thinking about how that would feel!  Could you imagine looking around you at signs and having no idea what they are telling you?  Do they say “Do not enter” or “Caution”?  Could they be telling you that there is free coffee, or that you are in a 20 item or less isle? More importantly if your child has chicken pocks or some highly contagious disease to wait in a separate lobby.

Here is a list of things of some things that, just this last week that absolutely required  literacy : I verified that the pharmacy made the correct medicine for my daughter, I filled out paper work  to be re-reimbursed for my school costs, I wrote a note to my daughters school to inform them why she was absent. I sent and read multiple emails from individuals on a personal and business level.  I paid bills. I researched different active ingredients in cough medicine for my older daughter.  I also helped that same daughter memorize lines for the musical she is in.  We worked on homework together.  My son studied for a Social Studies test, in which I quizzed him.

There are adults out there that are illiterate and cannot help their children in school.  They undoubtedly sign things that the content to which they have signed are a complete mystery to them other than what they are told.  It would be very similar to that poor man that had no idea what was going on around him.  I can think of so many different things that I encounter every day that requires me to read on some level.  Just try it. Go a whole day without reading or writing a single thing.  I imagine it would be similar to the “white fog” (Goshgarian) Helen Keller talks about as she describes the world around her.

Works Cited

Goshgarian, Gary. Exploring Language. New York: Pearson, 2010.

Introduction

This is the beginning of a reading journal assigned to me by my English teacher this semester. “A reading journal” why have I not heard of this before? I have three classes left till I have earned an AS in Biology and I am only now learning of this!  Oh the information that has been forever lost!  I have, without any real system, attempted to take notes while reading my textbooks only to find them unorganized or lost. This reading journal will revolutionize the way I read and study from here on. It is going to force me to think critically while reading.

I have found myself lacking in certain critical thinking skills.  I tend to take things at face value and not really look beyond a first impression, whether that impression is personal or educational. As you can imagine, not actively reading and analyzing the information that I become exposed to can be quite costly to my educational goal.

There are some areas that I tend to be a bit more critical in my thinking. When it comes to subjects that I am already thinking skeptical towards, I think much farther beyond just what has been put out on the table.  I will analyze intentions when engaged in anything politically driven.  Another obvious place for my few critical thinking skills is the media.  I often wonder how true a story is, where the information may have come from.  We cannot leave out commercials. Commercials are often a comical place to bestow any level of belief or even try to be critical.  Critical thinking comes naturally when it comes to commercials considering I recently saw a dog hanging from a post it. 

Something incredibly difficult for me to understand yet use any level of critical thinking skills is when the subject at hand involves anything abstract. Don’t imply or drop hints to me because I will never get it. If you want me to do or understand something you pretty much have to bluntly tell me.  As you can probably guess that poetry and I do not get along!  We are like oil and water.  As for reading things within the fictional categories…ugh!  I don’t generally read for fun. 

I have in recent days been assigned a reading and upon reading it, I felt very engaged in the short story. The story was discussed in great detail among my peers and was once again dumfounded by the insights they were able glean from the story.  I feel as though the obvious strikes me and I can create a great discussion, but I lack depth in analyzing/critical thinking skills.

Obviously, thinking critically is not a strong point for me and just the thought of it makes me feel exhausted! Unfortunately in the field of science it is a necessity that I must somehow learn and acquire. I have a long journey ahead and am excited to take it. I am expecting that as I read with the purpose of using critical thinking skill I will naturally become better and better. 

I am also quite excited that I am starting my very own blog!