Making the Invisible, Visible: The First Step...

The issue that our class is addressing is police corruption in Malaysia. It is important to resolve this issue because the police are supposed to be the people who are our role models, the people who keep peace. If they are corrupt, can we really trust them? Police corruption affects many people.  I think some of those who give the police officers' money don't realize they're not paying their fine; they're putting money into the police officer's pocket. I found it really surprising that so many police officers are involved with corruption. An article stated that there are 4,500 of 90,000 police officers involved with corruption. That's only 5% but 4,500 people is a lot. Studying this issue opened my eyes to the real world and that everything is not what it seems. Although I know more about police corruption now, I started off with pretty much no knowledge about police corruption, whatsoever. I knew that a lot of my family had experienced police corruption first hand, but I didn't know much about the whole system of police, and how many people were involved with corruption. The stations helped me get a general grasp about human rights and it helped my understanding grow. I'd studied human rights in 5th grade and 7th grade. This year, I feel like I fully understand them. Deciding on what to choose as a final topic was difficult because I wanted to go deeper into so many topics. It was interesting to hear everyone's opinions and reasoning for the topics they wanted to study most. I found the domestic workers' rights quite interesting but it's so important to have a good police system in Malaysia otherwise we can't do anything about many issues. For example, we can't help domestic workers if the police don't bother to do anything about it. In the end, I was satisfied with the choice that we'd made as a class. It was quite difficult to go through article after article, trying to find relevant information for our research topic. There are so many articles about police corruption, most of them being examples of police being fired or how much money they'd asked for. I couldn't find much about anything else. Using the school's resources helped a lot, though, otherwise it would have been crazy to search something up and find unlimited articles. The NoodleTools are very helpful because it's easier to gather information and cite the sources we used. I hope by the end of this unit, we will find ways for us to inform people about police corruption, so that something can be done to stop it.

How To Deal With A Dictator

To this day, dictators dominate their countries and suppress their citizens. Many are trying to stop them, in the best ways they can. Firstly, what is a dictator? A dictator is someone who rules the country on his own, and has ultimate power. Often, dictators misuse their power and, in most cases, end up making the whole world hate them. Most dictators are power hungry and omnipotent. Examples of dictators would be Julius Caesar, Vladimir Putin and Kim Jung Un. People are trying to take these dictators down from their power. In Julius Caesar, the conspirators chose assassination, but as the play shows, assassination isn't always the best option. Bit by bit, there are ways to remove a dictator from power. An example would be to organize a group of people to peacefully protest against the leader. Doing this will spread the word of how people dislike the leader and the leader may have to step down from his power, for the better of the people. Someone could also confront the leader. Talking to the leader may not take him down from power, but may make him realize how unreasonable he is being. Caesar had so much power, that he lost his sense of logic. Maybe all he needed was for someone to talk to him about it. Another solution coud be to cut off all trades and communication with the country so that the leader is forced to allow communications with other countries. North Korea has absolutely no communication with the rest of the world and a blockade could be a solution to that. Although there are many solutions to get rid of a dictator, sometimes it isn't always successful. There are still many dictators around the world and it's obviously going to be a challenge to get rid of them, but it has been done before, so it can be done again.

Girls Without a Voice

Chaeli Mycroft

Imagine not being able to move your hands or legs. Being wheelchair bound for life. Never knowing how it feels to have wind blow through your hair while running along the beach. That’s how Chaeli Mycroft, born in South Africa, lives. Born with cerebral palsy, she is wheelchair bound and cannot move her legs or hands. Despite that, she doesn’t let her disability stop her. Knowing how it feels to have almost no independence, Chaeli created the Chaeli Campaign, helping over 3,000 disabled children a year. The Chaeli Campaign started because she wanted to buy herself a motorized wheelchair, giving her more independence. She raised the money she needed within seven weeks and realized she could help raise money for others. She was rewarded in 2011 with the International Children’s Peace Prize for all the good she’s done for South African children. She believes that everyone is born equal and free, with independence and rights, whether they are disabled or not. She wants to show other children that there is still hope for them, even when it feels like there is nothing to live for.


Chaeli fights for the rights of disabled children and the fact that they are born equal and free and they all have independence. Chaeli herself was born with limited movement of her arms and legs. As said before, the Chaeli Campaign started because Chaeli wanted to buy herself a motorized wheelchair, giving her more independence. Her family couldn’t afford a new wheelchair, so Chaeli, her sisters and her friends sold cards, flower pots and their own artwork to raise money for Chaeli. After raising the money she needed within seven weeks, she realized she could help other disabled children and their needs. “This project has become the Chaeli Campaign, a professional organization that annually helps more than 3000 children with disabilities in South Africa with equipment, physical therapy and which defends the rights and acceptance of disabled children. Chaeli inspires other children to start projects and for that she has developed an ambassadors program.” Chaeli’s own needs ended up helping more than herself because she raised so much money, she decided to help others and donate to them. Of course, Chaeli didn’t do it all on her own. Her sisters and friends helped her along the road, sacrificing their free time to help others. Although it’s tough to have to sacrifice your own personal life, it’s all worth it because Chaeli and her friends have helped so many people recover and gain hope.


Chaeli takes her own hope and shows other disabled children that there is still hope for them as well. Born with cerebral palsy, she was less able to do everything everyone else can. But Chaeli didn’t let that get to her. Instead of pitying herself, she turned her disability into her gift. She started the Chaeli Campaign to help other disabled children and to show them they still have some hope.  “‘Hope is what keeps us going,’ Chaeli said in her speech. ‘It’s what keeps us striving for the lives we deserve. I have hope for myself, but I also have hope for all other children with disabilities. I hope that my actions as an ability activist will leave the world more accepting and more accommodating for all people and not just people with disabilities, because we are all different and we all have the need to be accepted regardless of having a disability or not.’” Her non-profit organization helps over 3000 children a year, donating money, helping them get back on their feet by giving them equipment they need or physical therapy. Despite the fact that Chaeli is disabled, she competed in the world championship for ballroom dancing for the disabled. Chaeli doesn’t let her disabilities get to her and she shows everyone else that being disabled shouldn’t discourage them.

The work that Chaeli has done helped show over 3,000 disabled children that there is still hope for them, and that no matter what, they should know they were born equal and free, with rights, despite their disabilities. Chaeli’s own weaknesses encouraged her to help others who are conflicted with similar disabilities. Chaeli given the publicity of an award has motivated and inspired others to take action, letting disabled children know how it feels to move their hands or legs, possibly getting out of their wheelchairs and even feeling wind blow through their hair as they run along a beach.

Sources Used:
"Children's Peace Prize winner Chaeli Mycroft in South ... - YouTube." 2012. 1 Nov. 2012 <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=24zQ13hQfKI>
"The Universal Declaration of Human Rights." 2009. 1 Nov. 2012 <http://www.un.org/en/documents/udhr/index.shtml>
"Michaela “Chaeli” Mycroft | Mail & Guardian 200 Young South Africans." 2012. 1 Nov. 2012 <http://ysa2012.mg.co.za/michaela-chaeli-mycroft/>
"SA Career Focus: Chaeli Mycroft." 2011. 1 Nov. 2012 <http://www.sacareerfocus.co.za/displayArticle.php?id=215>
"Michaela Mycroft winner of International Children's Peace Prize 2011." 2011. 1 Nov. 2012 <http://chaelicampaign-co-za.si-sv3825.com/news/michaela-mycroft-winner-of-international-childrens-peace-prize-2011/>
"2011 Chaeli Mycroft - Childrenspeaceprize." 2011. 1 Nov. 2012 <http://childrenspeaceprize.org/childrens-peace-price/2011-chaeli-mycroft/>

Harrison Bergeron by Kurt Vonnegut Jr.

Vonnegut's message about the world in this story is that there is no way to make everyone equal and the world will be chaotic, no matter what. Now, we have so much freedom but there are still many countries where people don't have equal rights, especially women. In the story of Harrison Bergeron, people are given handicaps so that they're not better than anyone at anything. That takes the freedom away and makes everyone equal, but in a torturous way. "The year was 2081, and everybody was finally equal. They weren’t only equal before God and the  law. They were equal every which way. Nobody was smarter than anybody else. Nobody better looking than anybody else. Nobody was stronger or quicker than anybody else." (pg 130) Everyone wears handicaps, such as weights - to make a person weaker, masks - to hide someone's good looks, and ear pieces - that make sounds every time someone thinks to much, to keep people from being smart. "It was tragic, all right, but George and Hazel couldn’t think about it very hard. Hazel had a perfectly average intelligence, which meant she couldn’t think about anything except in short bursts. And George, while his intelligence was way above normal, had a little mental handicap radio in his ear. He was required by law to wear it at all times. It was tuned to a government transmitter. Every twenty seconds or so, the transmitter would send out some sharp noise to keep people like George from taking unfair advantage of their brains." (pg 130) In this story, everyone is equal, resulting in chaotic, mindless people following ONE person's rules. Although most people are equal, there is still one person in charge and she gets to rule the world and she has all the power. Despite how hard we try, we'll never have a perfect world because there will always be disagreements and oppressive leaders, etc.

Identity IS Worth Fighting For

Where I'm From
I am from lawn chairs,
and being terrified of bees in our garden.
I am from soccer practice,
and being the smallest in the class.
I am from ice skating lessons, falling on my butt.
I am from my seven pairs of Converse that I’ll never throw away.

I am from Clifford the Big Red Dog,and the Boston Red Sox.
I am from N’sync and Britney Spears,
and wanting to be Michael Jackson’s background dancer.
I am from Corn Pops,and grooming vans,
and being the youngest on the flight to Las Vegas.
I am from No means no,
and my parents calling me my Chinese name, Ka-En.
I am from the angry old neighbor next door,
and High School Musical marathons.

A tradition that’s passed down the line,
generation after generation.
Tea ceremonies to celebrate weddings, 
Chinese New Year and birthdays.
Prolonging the past,
and foreshadowing the future.


Who I Am
Braided, puffy hair, into a pony-tail.
Dark brown eyes.
Cracked lips.
A watch from my half brother in Hong Kong.
A hair tie on my other wrist.
A uniform with one button undone and both sleeves rolled up.
Some rolled up pants; they’re too long.
Scar-filled legs, full of mosquito bites.
An awkward tan line from the wrist band that I wore for 2 years on my ankle because my wrist is too small.
My signature pair of Converse, with two tongues, ruined from dancing, running and skateboarding.
Socks that keep sliding down my foot.
Ears lacking earrings because of my sensitive skin.
Nails covered with pink, black and white nail polish.
9 toe nails, covered in white nail polish, one hanging off.
Different.
Quirky.
Awkward.
That’s me.

Identity is something that's worth fighting for. Everyone is their own self and nothing can change that. You have the right to fight for who you are and you should be able to be yourself no matter what. Your identity shouldn't even have to be something that you have to fight for. People are designed to be different and people should embrace that. People may try to take your identity away from you and that's when you have to fight for you identity. There isn't a certain way you have to be. Tradition can be an obstacle there and although it's tradition, I feel it's not fair. Everyone should be able to be themselves. Also, there are stereotypes and gender "roles". People often think that women have to do certain things, like work in the kitchen and clean up, and men have to do certain things, like work and make all the money. No one should have to live up to those expectations because they're not even real expectations.

Prejudice and Bias

Throughout John Boyne's The Boy In The Striped Pyjamas, there was a lot of evidence of prejudice and bias. Bruno's father was in charge of one of the concentration camps and he was clearly a big supporter of the Nazis. Bruno didn't understand much of what was going on and he just listened to his father and agreed that the Jews were horrible people. When he went exploring, he met Shmuel and talked to him through the fence. He didn't understand why the Jews were horrible people. Bruno asked his sister, Gretel, if there were such things as nice Jews. Gretel thought that was a very stupid thought and told Bruno that there was no such thing as nice Jews. She learned from her father and the tutor that they have. This suggests that prejudice is caused by what our parents think.

Prejudice is caused mainly because of what our parents think and what their opinions are. Children are very much influenced by their parents and parents teach their children so whatever the parents think, the children would most likely agree. Also, Bruno being a German family, many, not all, Germans were siding the Nazis and they encouraged what they were doing.

Prejudice is also highly affected by what people around you think, like peer pressure. If a group of people think something, another person is most likely going to agree. Another reason people would be prejudice is because they have a leader. Hitler didn't like the Jews and many people followed his lead, hence the amount of people against Jews.

Bruno and Gretel were influenced by their father and they believed that Jews were horrible people. Bruno was the only one who actually interacted with a Jew for a longer time period and he knows that Jews aren't actually bad people. This shows that the opinions of people most likely revolve around someone else's opinion.