Semester Reflection, American Culture

Semester Reflection, American Culture

          Every week on Friday we have American culture class. This class we learned about a lot of aspects of American society. We learned American Jazz, The Presidential Elections, Twentieth Century American Art, Superheroes, The American Labor Movement and American Political Music.

One of the subjects I still impressed was the class we did on the American Labor Movement. In the United State there was a big accident named Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire. It was really new for me and I was shocked about that. It was sad and important part of American history. Also, I enjoyed the class on American Political Music. I already know John Lennon’s songs but I didn’t know about what does his songs meaning. In that class I found Political meanings in his songs and his life story to be very interesting. Also, we learned about American politics and the elections. I participated in a debate on Barack Obama’s side. We watched and reviewed the video about the last debate and discussed that. We asked a lot of questions on Mitt Romney’s side and they asked us about Barack Obama’s electoral commitments. That was my first debate only speaking English, so I learned a lot. I like all subjects in this class. It was fun to work together each week with interesting people.

Superheroes in my mind

  A superhero is a powerful being who always tries to do the right thing.  In my mind, I picked three people who I think are heroes. First, my mother is my personal superhero. She is very kind and understanding in all situations in our family. She deals with problems and helps people. Second, my old friend who is named Joo-young is my superhero. She inspired me in many ways such as studying and solving problems between friends. She has the achievement in TOEFL and accepted at the University of Seoul. Third, Superman is my superhero when I was a teenager. He can handle an incredible situation such as someone stuck in a broken building. Also, he rescues many people. In conclusion, these three people make me inspired and the world peaceful.

American Culture Class : Superheroes

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American Culture Class : Superheroes

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           In American culture class we discussed the American idea of superheroes. There are many famous superheroes in American culture such as Batman and Spiderman. We read an excerpt form the book ‘Superheroes and Philosophy’ by Jeph Loeb and Tom Morris. Superheroes embody our deepest hopes and fears. Many people feel that superheroes represent our highest ambitions and help us deal with our worst nightmares. They typically have superpowers. Not every character has superpowers. They just need the power to help people who cannot help themselves, and they fight evil with the force of good. Plato, the Greek philosopher, believed that good is inherently attractive. What is good will pull us in its direction as long as we are not blocked from seeing it and appreciating it. Most superhero stories have been popular for a long time. The reason, is that they speak to our hopes. When we confront adversity in our lives, we are often inclined to just give up and find an easier path. But superheroes show us that nothing worth doing is easy. For example, Batman teaches the lesson that we can keep going even when the going is very hard.

Twentieth Century American Music

     Today in American Culture class we discussed a unique form of American Music, jazz. We listened some jazz songs and also studied the roots of jazz. Billie Holiday was born in 1915 and had a very difficult life. Her childhood was tough, and she was very poor until she became a successful singer. She had no musical training. She just learned from musicians around her and invented her own unique style of singing. Norah Jones was also jazz musician in America. Her parents are a famous musician and a dancer, and she was able to attend good schools and colleges. She took piano lessons as a child, and studied jazz piano at the University of North Texas. Both Holiday and Jones became very successful and famous many similar ways such as their music, performance style, and abilities. They are mainly jazz singers although Nora Jones performs other music as well.

      I love jazz music. Jazz music makes me calm and comfortable. When I was young my mom always listen jazz with me. I like Norah Jones’s songs. I think her voice really perfect to sing in jazz music.