Semester Reflection, American Culture

           In American Culture class this semester, we learned about several aspects of American society. One of the things that I really enjoyed is the American music. I really like the American music especially classic and soft rock. Also listening to music with its lyrics and practicing to pronounce it is very helpful in learning English. Moreover, I liked that we learned a lot about the Presidential Election. We learned about different political parties and the religious sects involved with it. I also participated in a debate and I was on Romney's side. I had to defend Romney's positions while I disagree with him more than Obama! Furthermore, we learned about American different kinds of Art; and the most thing I liked is photography. It's a very beautiful art when you take shots of amazing nature. I liked the work of Ansel Adams, but one thing that I didn't like in his work that he took pictures of naked bodies and I don't think is related to art!

              In American Culture class we did different activities. Such as, debate, discussion, writing on blog, listening to lectures or music, watching documentaries and interviews. I think all of them were interesting and helpful in learning the English language. However, the most interesting part to me was the debate competition we did on Romney and Obama. Although, that I was on Romney's group, but Obama group won and surprisingly that was like how the elections results ended! At last, I thank miss Louise for all her efforts and for this great class.

American Culture Class: My Three Heroes

          There should be people in everyone's life who they look up to or consider heroes. I believe there are three persons who I consider to be heroes: Our Prophet, peace be upon him, prophet Jesus peace be upon him, and my mother. 

        Our Prophet, peace be upon him, is the first one I look up to because of his great qualities and noble mission. In my opinion, prophet Mohammed sacrificed and dedicated much for his religion and for mankind; to show them the true path and guide through darkness to the light. In addition, his great attributes such as kindness, honesty and loyalty. Therefor, every Muslim wants to take him as an example for a perfect true believer.

      Prophet Jesus, peace be upon him, is the second person I believe is a hero. He sacrificed a lot for his religion and devoted to show them the truth. Moreover, he came with miracles and supernatural powers such as healing sick people and reviving the dead by the will of God.

       My mother is the third person I consider as a hero; because she sacrificed a lot for her children to raise us up and push us to success. Also she is a caring and loving person; she cares and worries about us much to be happy and successful. I thank God for giving me a great mother!

       Ultimately, we should have someone in our life that we look up to and follow as a guide or an example for us to reach our goals and success. Prophet Mohammed, Jesus and My Mother are perfect examples of heroes who have done many things that served others.

American Culture Class: Superheroes

          In American Culture Class we discussed the American idea of superheroes. We watched some ad movie clips of famous superheros in the American Culture such as Batman, Superman and Spiderman. We read an expert from the book "Superheroes and Philosophy" by Jeph Loeb and Tom Morris. Many writers and artists who create the stories of superheroes believe that these characters embody our deepest hopes and fears. They feel that superheros represent  our highest ambitions and help us deal with our worst nightmares. Superheros are extraordinarily powerful people who have both strengths and weakness. They typically have superpowers or at least normal human abilities that they have developed to a superhuman level. Plato, the Greek philosopher, believed that good is inherently attractive. What is good will pull us in it's direction as long as we are not blocked from seeing it and appreciating it. Superhero stories have been popular for so long because they speak to our hopes. We all aspire to make a difference, to have a positive impact on the world, and to be acknowledged for that impact. 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. They don't accept defeat, and they won't ever give up. Superheroes can teach us some good lessons, for example, Batman can inspire us to use our lives for something good and noble.