Part I:
My presentation will begin with an introduction of India:

1. Location
2. History with Pakistan
3. Recent Advancements

People love drama, action and things that blow up, luckily India's history has that to offer. I would speak of the battles with Pakistan and the need for U.N. involvement. Also I will present my argument, although the United States successfully attempts to influence other countries into its imperialistic ideologies, many countries reject them and follow their own path into success. I will show the many advancements India was able to accomplish without the United States and the positive and negatives of the before and after the United States entered in agreements with India. As of now
I don't have a visual, partly because I felt that my research paper didn't really capture what I truly wanted to say about India and its ability to move forward without so many capitalist ideologies. I feel the need to fill my presentation with the many things that I couldn't express in my research paper. I will probably use my awesome PowerPoint skills to gather images and clips that express what my research paper failed to do. An effective oral presentation takes a lot of confidence in yourself and the topic you are presenting. A great oral presentation means that you know who your audience is and how to capture them. Since my audience are my classmates then I know that 18 year-olds get bored with too many numbers and facts, we like visuals and interactive moments. I will do my best to fulfill my audience's likes because if I can do that and get my point across then I have effectively given a perfect oral presentation.

Essay #2 Draft

The Vietnam War has long become of the most historic battles in the history of the United States but very few know how it all began. The United States began calling this war "the fight against communism" and gave the men of the United Sates the idea that this war was to protect capitalism and save the Vietnamese from the wrongs of communism.  Patriotism, along with pride, encouraged the men of the United States to join the cause to kill the "gooks". Men were trained to believe that the Vietnamese were worthless, disgusting creatures that need the U.S. to become civilized. With these ideologies in mind the soldiers proudly went to war, killing Vietnamese as if their lives were invaluable. Men, women, the elderly, and children were mercilessly killed.

Since the United States was quickly gaining power in the world it needed to obliterate communism to keep capitalistic ideologies. For the policy makers in the U.S. this was more than just fighting communism but about protecting and reinforcing the image of the United States. It needed to maintain that image of a powerful army.

The training the men in the military received caused them to become heartless killing machines. In Hearts and Minds directed by Peter Davis there was a scene where a church leader spoke to the troops. He described the war as a football game that had to be won. He clearly states that “the other team” isn’t going to win because the U.S. is more advanced and has the advantage.

Power Analysis Essay # 2

India, the second most populated country with about 1,189,750,000 people, seems  unimportant and too far to even matter. On the other hand the United States of America, the third most populated country with about 310,629,000 people and the forth largest country in the world, is at the top of the food chain.  Very much like the wild, countries are categorized into levels of power by the amount of things they have. India, in this case has a large amount of farmable land and a growing economy. On the other hand, the U.S. has far more than India can offer, farmable land, well educated people, huge businesses, and the one thing that makes the world go 'round, MONEY.

Since 2004 India has become center of attention to the U.S. for two reasons, their growing and promising economy and their nuclear weapons.  Not only was the U.S. looking into stopping their nuclear testing but government officials we looking into participating in its economy. India who has always been a very independent country wasn't too excited about this alliance with the U.S. Indian officials knew that this unity with the U.S. could bring them trouble and on the other hand they could finally get the military help they so desperately needed in oder to keep peace with their neighboring country, Pakistan.

Brainstorm!

Before we began to brainstorm I had three topics to write about : agriculture, nuclear power & economics. Now that we brainstormed together, I narrowed it down to  economics. I came to this conclusion due to the fact that I felt that this topic had alot more information than the other two topics. The United States seems mostly interested in getting into India's economy but India isn't up for allowing other countries to interfere with how India is being run and the progress that it's making.

The idea is that with patience and well thought out plans, India will grow to become and economic as well as nuclear power. If this power is obtained then India must maintain this power and keep to themselves.

From Estrangement to Engagement

Searching for sources online was relatively easy because India has two main relations with the U.S., economic growth and nuclear weapon agreements. These two relations seem really important to many scholars because in every database and search engine I look into there is more than enough information to allow me to grasp the main idea and further understand the reasons why these relations came about.

Works Cited

Feigenbaum, Evan A. "India's Rise, America's Interest." 76-91. Foreign Affairs, 2010. Academic Search Complete. EBSCO. Web. 14 Oct. 2010.
            This essay allowed me to further understand the importance of India's economy and how the relationship between the two can shape the economy of India. Also Feigenbaum gives a list of suggestions as to what each county must do in order to make the relation between the two succeed.

            Evan A. Feigenbaum as Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for South Asia and Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Central Asia.

CUSTERS, PETER. "A Different Perspective on the U.S.-India Nuclear Deal." 19-28. Monthly Review Foundation, 2009. Academic Search Complete. EBSCO. Web. 14 Oct. 2010.
         Custers explains another relation that the U.S. has with India, a nuclear relation. India has caught the attention of the U.S. because of its nuclear testing. Helpful to those who are searchingt for intrests other than economic for the U.S.-Indian engagement. Peter Custers is author of Capital Accumulation and Women’s Labour in Asian Economies (1997) and Questioning Globalized Militarism: Nuclear and Military Production and Critical Economic Theory (2007). This article is a revised text of a lecture given at the Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, on September 17, 2008.
Schaffer, Teresita C. "The United States, India, and Global Governance: Can They Work Together?." Washington Quarterly 32.3 (2009): 71-87. Academic Search Complete. EBSCO. Web. 14 Oct. 2010.

An article on the relationship between the U.S. and India. Is there the possibilitythat the two countries  can get together and aquire a very helpful a beneficial relationship?Ambassador Teresita C. Schaffer is the director of the South Asia Program at CSIS.



Hearts & Minds

After watching Hearts & Minds I felt somewhat upset and heartbroken. It was mostly due to the fact that so many people were hurt and so many had died, all of  this for NOTHING. A lot of people were interviewed for this documentary but there were people whose words impacted me. I still remember when a Vietnamese civilian spoke about his experience and he simply responded with strength.

" As long as there is rice we will keep fighting and when the rice runs out we'll plow the fields and keep fighting."

This was very surprising, after all the Vietnamese people had gone through, it was amazing to see that they still had strength and weren't giving up so easily. Hearing Daniel Ellesberg'sdecieved by the same government he supported. I wasn't surprised that he would be included in this documentary because afterall he did leak the "Pentagon Papers".

I felt a little confused with the formatting and organization of the film but after analyzing the film I started to understand why certain things were shown. For example, the scenes of the football games referered to the idea that this war was a game that had to be won. I kept going back to the scene where the pastor or reverend spoke to the soilders as if he was refering to a big footbal game. He spoke of training and how the opposing team had nothing on them. I think these ideas are what kept the soilders fighting without knowing the cause. Also the scene of the brothel mostly represented the fact that although people were getting killed, houses and towns were getting destroyed, this had no immediate effect on Americans back home and even to those fighting in the war.

I still believe that the only reason why the United States went to war in Vietnam was to fufill ideologies. The "most powerful country" must help those other countries in need. I think that every country should take care of their own problems first and then help others. It seems that the history of the United States involves a lot of brown nosing and most of the time the U.S. endes up losing. There is this ideology that it is the duty of the U.S. to help keep democracy alive, it is the duty of the U.S. to interfere in disagreements between countries. George Washington warned about this. The minute the U.S. gets involved with other countries' affairs it will be ruined. This is still true today. Washington died 211 years ago and still government officials haven't realized that he was right all along. Maybe it'll be too late when they realize . . .

The act of showing war images is VERY IMPORTANT. I believe that the public has the right to know the truth behind it all in order to gain trust in their government and see the brutality of war. If images of a burned child or images of houses being completely destroyed were broadcasted years ago why can't they be broadcasted now?

My Research Essay Topic

When thinking of the ties between the United States and the rest of the world I rarely think of India. I knew very little about the country so the very little research I've done has been an interesting task. I know India has a lot to offer especially with such a booming economy, but it made me wonder what benefit the United States gains from acquiring a tie with the country. I dont really know why or how the Indian community became involved with the United Stetes but it might be greatly influenced by the huge amount of job opportunities in the United States and the "promise of a gretater life."
After reading the Wikipedia entry for India I quickly learned of its colorful culture and traditions. I learned of the country's demographics, for example, India has an estimated population of 1,186,665,000. But most importantly, I learned of it's financial growth and its nuclear testing called Operation Smiling Buddha. India ha been involved in neuclear testing since 1974 and since then has become a neuclear power hence becoming a threat to the United States. Its promising economy is rapidly booming and the United States might be interested in joining that market and through that providing greater variety to the United States. Now I have two HUGE reasons to why the United States to become involved with India. But besides that, much of the information provided by Wikipedia was useless to my research paper. Information such as sports played in India, its flowers, animals, food, anthem, emblem, fruits, states and terretories are irrelevant. The one section that was most relevant to my task was about a paragraph long and mentioned a tie between the United States and India but failed to provide a working link.  

The Problem with Tourism Draft

After reading "A Small Place" by Jamaica Kincaid and "Slumdog Tourism" by Kennedy Odede I wondered what role I played as a tourist. Am I making a economic change in the country, am I embracing the culture, or am I being ignorant and just pushing aside the issues placed before me? After all, this is my vacation, my escape.

Kincaid opens our eyes and welcomes us to her country of Antigua. She shows us the Antigua she knows, an Antigua that although it is beautiful and breathtaking, it is a country in desperate need. With a struggling economy, very little support, and the inability to compete in the markets makes progress unobtainable. But when we make our vacation plans we overlook the things we see in the papers and the news. Kincaid expresses that we think that by visiting and spending our money in the country we're contributing to the economy but in fact we're damaging it further. We're, in a way, forcing our culture into their country. The more we visit the more our country gets involved in the country. For example, there have been many successful attempts to bring fast food chains and foreign cultures into countries such as Antigua to help "stimulate" their economy. However, Kincaid expresses the negative results of similar mergers, "The Antigua that I knew, the Antigua in which I grew up, is not the Antigua you, a tourist would see now, that Antigua no longer exists."(p.23)

"Slumdog Tourism" takes a look at a different problem tourists seem to cause. Odede expresses his feelings towards the fad that many celebrities have imposed on many Americans. Many people are taking vacation just to see how the other half lives. It seems to be this obsession over being grateful of what you have and feeling fortunate. But instead of these tourist helping the less fortune they see firsthand they actually take pictures and find it as entertainment. “Slum tourism turns poverty into entertainment ... and then go back to their lives and leave me, my family, and my community right where we were before.”(p.1)

I Choose Exile Response

After reading "I Choose Exile" by  Richard Wright I felt that in one way he exaggerated his thoughts and feelings towards America. He has an inner conflict, a deep hate for America yet he wont let go of it completely. It's like a bad breakup where the guy loves the girl but hates the fact that she left him.
" I live in voluntary exile in France and I like it. There is nothing in the life of America that I miss or yearn for... I shall of course, keep my American citizenship, my American passport; but I prefer to live out my days among civilized people."
Ok, confused?!  I sure am. I thought he hated America, the land of uncivilized people where there isn't an inch of freedom or as he states, "It was only in America where so much freedom is lacking that one hears long and impassioned arguments about freedom ... It is like listening to a starving man tell of his need for food."
Here is my thought Richard, get your thoughts and feelings in order. If you don't like America and how its run then Ovua! and while you're gone leave your American rights behind. America isn't perfect but it sure is better than living in many other places. You found a place that fits you, then HOORAY FOR YOU but leave the trash talking to your diary.
He was asked to write of his new life in Paris yet he flipped it around to fit his vengeful and hateful thoughts. Yes, it was difficult for him to have a life free of judgement but he didn't attempt to fix anything he just got fed up and left. What will happen if he encounters problems in France? Will he pick up and move to India? What if the same thing happens there? A pessimist will never find happiness unless he changes his mind. He will forever encounter an issue wherever he goes because he seems to focus on the negatives. Wen did he ever mention the good? Did he ever think that the only reason he was able to write and publish "Native Son" and "Black Boy" was because he had freedom of speech? Guess he never thought that one through.



“The optimist sees the rose and not its thorns; the pessimist stares at the thorns, oblivious to the rose."
                           -Kahlil Gibran