12 Hours of Endurance: Rue Maghreb

For my second unit of the last term of my humanities course, Endurance, I dedicated twelve hours to a project I was passionate about completing. As many of you know, I have a clothing brand that I have been able to work on for about three years now. I decided to dedicate twelve hours of work towards my brand in order to answer the question: How does interaction allow for more people to believe in Rue Maghreb’s mission that impacts my personal mission? “ In other words, how can we attract more people to the page?  My personal mission is to invite nostalgia in my life to not forget where I came from or where I’m going. This was all under the state of Katabasis which means "epic convention of the hero's trip into the underworld." In other words, entering a state of critical part of a journey and rising up from it. I was able to develop a sort of "vlog" style video that allows you to enter a part of the process and see it for yourself. From communicating with some clients who didn't really get our message to communicating with some influencers who didn't get back to us to translating documents, etc. Here is my work below! 

 

 LOG/TASK PLANNER 

VLOG 

Special thanks to:
Loubaba Boury - Social Media Director (Rue Maghreb)Souhaib Jaafari- Communications Manager (Rue Maghreb)

The Sustainable Clock

For this term, Time, we looked into how time can deceive us. Time is relative, according to Einstein, so we really looked into this aspect throughout this term. We dove deeper into the topics of time zones, gravitational waves, twin paradox/time dilation. The class was assigned to read one of three different books including Einstein's Dreams, E=mc^2, and A Brief History of Time. We went on an FE, the Adler Planetarium! We looked into time telling devices like sundials, chronometers, etc. For this AP, we were assigned to design our own time telling devices! I was inspired by the Umayyad Clock which is located in Damascus, Syria. Read more of my blog to learn more about the Sustainable Clock! 

Script for video:

Imagine a world where time wasn’t the only thing on our minds?  Imagine a world where time could help solve economic crises around the world. When time telling devices provide clean water in countries that need it the most.

“One in three people globally do not have access to safe drinking water”, according to the World Health Organization.

Let’s think about SDG 8, to Promote inclusive and sustainable economic growth, employment and decent work for all, “  Over 60 per cent of all workers lack any kind of employment contract” according to the International Labour Organization.

Water purification and global economy work hand in hand, and this time telling device has just taken one step further in bringing these two contrast issues closer together.

The idea goes way back to Umayyad civilization, (zoom into map) Damascus, Syria, 800 years ago the Umayyad Mosque was constructed including the Umayyad clock which was a mechanical time telling device that required two falcons to drop a copper ball through a vase each time the hour would pass. The pulley system was located in the center of the clock. This system required water in buckets in order to function because each time pulley was lifted up or down worked. The gears would shift inside of the device to mark the new hour throughout the city of Damascus. The problem that I found when looking into this device, is that they weren’t very mindful about their water usage, and would dunk the water instead of using it in communities in need. Due to the Syrian Civil war that has been going for about 10 years now, the Umayyad mosque has been destroyed.

Time plays a key role in society today, but it also matters about the way that we cherish it. We spend too much of our time not being present, distracted by devices an inch away from us, and more. Why not create a time telling device where time can be used efficiently. Now telling what hour it is rather than being distracted by minutes and seconds only to find out that another hour is about to pass and you still haven’t used your time productively. The sustainable clock does just that. Inspired by the Umayyad clock, displaying only the hour of the day, while using a pulley system that requires contaminated water in order to function. The water gets purified for an hour through a system in the interior of the time telling device, hour passes, the pulley system goes back to its original system, water gets evacuated, while the gears shift the hour being displayed throughout the town. A person manually takes the purified water to a manufacturing warehouse where other members of the community package the water, and the bottles get distributed into the hand of the public.

This is a system that is bound to change current global economic systemic issues by sparking job opportunities for communities in need around the world. Jobs that will become necessary in order for this time telling device to function properly are employees who can get the contaminated water from local water systems, employees who can change out the water once purified, employees making sure the gears are functioning properly, manufacturers who are distributing purified water into bottles, and employees getting these bottles out to members of community. The device can change the way we purify water around the globe, while also being mindful of the way we interpret time. Time is precious, use it wisely. Most importantly, think about a future where a community can come together due to time.

Here is a link to my video! 

Five original visuals of Sustainable Clock:

The idea started with a similar concept as the Umayyad clock. This two leveled clock that used gears in order to change the hour using a pulley system. I knew that somehow throughout my time telling device concept, I wanted to add a pulley system using water. 

NB. Design 1 of Sustainable Clock. 2020

This idea sparked once I knew that I wanted this time telling device to purify water. Throughout the clock, are tubes that allow the water to circulate while the hour passes, and purify the contaminated water. 

NB. Design 4 of Sustainable Clock. 2020

In order to incorporate the new pulley system, I decided to make this system start at the center of the clock, the gears would function in the interior of the clock, while the pulley system goes up or down. The lighting is added where the new hour is being displayed in order for the community to also see the hour, and follow that time zone.

NB. Design 3 of Sustainable Clock. 2020

Here, I show what my official Sustainable Clock would look like. Here, I display the tubes running throughout the clock, the pulley system located in the center of the clock, exits and entryways for water to pass through, and most importantly, how time is displayed throughout the town!

NB. Design 5 of Sustainable Clock. 2020

Calculations:

NB. Arc Length. 2020

NB. Volume of clock. 2020

Conclusion

To conclude, this term allowed me to think more about time on a philosophical level, and see time in a different light. This is why I designed the sustainable clock. Especially nowadays, our main focus is put on things that distract us or harm us, rather than educate us and allows us to use our time productively. I think something that plays a key role in that is that the fact seeing when the hour is about to end can put us in this funk that leads to not be productive. This device will keep people on their toes, and make sure that they use their time efficiently, while also creating job opportunities for people within communities in need. 

Iran Nuclear Deal Plan with Elizabeth Warren

For this humanities course, Rhetoric, we focused on studying the art of rhetoric. Some of us had no idea what rhetoric was and how it was used, only to find out that we use rhetoric everyday. We started off by learning about Aristotle’s ethos, pathos, and logos. Using credibility, emotion, and statistics to prove an argument. This term, we were able to visit Leo Burnette, which works with different brands in advertising and marketing.We learned about the art of rhetoric that is used within different brands to convince a customer to choose their brand. This was an interesting experience and also got me thinking about our AP. For this AP, we were given a democratic candidate who is currently running for presidency in 2020. We were asked to curate a question that could come up throughout the candidate's presidential campaign trail, and create a two minute speech in which the candidate will respond to. I got Senator Elizabeth Warren and her topic will be foreign affairs, specifically Iran Nuclear Deal. Read and watch my response to learn more!

Video:

Q. Senator Elizabeth Warren, as a Persian myself, I am tired of seeing my country and America not being able to make amends for the past four decades (especially now). In previous interviews you have stated that Iran is a “significant threat”. I am hoping that in the future, Iran and the U.S. could make amends. If elected president in 2020, what would you do in order to gain back a relationship with Iran?

2 Minute Summary:

I have stated in previous interviews that Iran is a “significant threat” to the United States. But what is more of a “significant threat” is the fact that our president has put us at risk of a nuclear war with Iran by withdrawing the U.S. from the JCPOA back in 2018. A president that is supposed to protect us has just put us at risk of nuclear destruction. As I've stated before on warren.senate.gov, “America should be a country that keeps it promises. The Obama Administration negotiated a landmark agreement to peacefully prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon.” This was a monumental moment in U.S. history. Finally being able to be a part of a peaceful agreement with Iran meant we might finally hold a stronger relationship with Iran, and a safer one. I’d rather deal with Iran’s bad behavior with a nuclear deal than without it. Our president has isolated us from many deals that could be pointing America to a better future, but instead has just isolated us. Now that we withdrew from the JCPOA, President Trump’s “administration has pummeled Iran with crippling economic sanctions.” according to Business Insider. Since September, Iran has already begun taking a “big step away from the deal when it announced it would begin developing more advanced centrifuges that allow for more rapid uranium enrichment.” from business insider. The JCPOA deal only limited Iran to “3.67% of Uranium enrichment to maintain the country’s energy needs.” according to NPR. That percent would not give Iran the ability to build a nuclear bomb. Now that we have Iran fighting back, we have increased our potential of nuclear war. As a senator serving for almost eight years, I have seen our presidents make decisions that can destroy America’s future. I will treat America like my baby if elected president. If I am elected president, I will make sure that every family in our country is in safe hands and never at risk of nuclear destruction. If elected president in 2020, I will make sure to get us back on that deal. Foreign affairs seems like an Eye of the Needle for some presidents, but it’s an issue we must address. We, as Americans, need to make sure that we make amends with countries like Iran before we go ahead and make other plans to better this country. We, as Americans, need to make amends with countries like Iran for the safety of this country. We, as Americans, need to make amends with countries like Iran in order to keep these influential generations alive and love this country. We have been divided for too long and it is time for us to make America what it should have been these past four years.

Overall, this AP got me thinking about America’s future. Next year, I will be able to vote for the very first time. I want to make sure that as a voter I make the right decision about the candidate I choose, and I want to make sure that our next president is able to make a difference for our country. Foreign affairs is a topic that I really look into when thinking about what makes a good candidate. I personally feel that in order to set orders on what can make our country better, we need to think about the countries we need to make amends with first. We need to make foreign affairs priority for the safety of our country.

Citations:

1. Gathright, Jenny, and James Doubek. “Iran Will Surpass Uranium Enrichment Limits, Officials Say.” NPR, NPR, 6 July 2019, www.npr.org/2019/07/06/739171142/iran-could-surpass-uranium-enrichment-limits-on-sunday-according-to-top-aide.

2. Haltiwanger, John. “Here's What's in the 2015 Nuclear Deal with Iran That Trump Withdrew from, Sparking a Crisis That's Led to the Brink of War.” Business Insider, Business Insider, 19 Sept. 2019, www.businessinsider.com/iran-nuclear-deal-explained.

Rue Maghreb

For this independent study, I spent some time working on an idea that I had been thinking about for quite some time, starting a brand. I follow a lot of brands on instagram that all create streetwear to represent Middle Eastern culture such as Palestinian, Yemeni, Jordanian, Lebanese, Iraqi, and Syrian culture. As much as I love those culture, and hold them close to my heart especially growing up with friends who cam from that background, I always wished that there would have been a brand like that for my roots. I come from a Mexican and Moroccan background, it was always really hard growing up and trying to find something that resembled me. I was never ashamed of who I was and where my parents came from, in fact, each time someone started a conversation with me I would inform them on my background. Because I saw that these brands have a trend with the people who they wanted to bring forward, Middle Easterners, I also saw a lot of people who came from a North African background whether they were Tunisian, Moroccan, or Algerian, who also followed these brands. I wondered if they felt the same way that I did. I wondered if they wanted something to relate to, but still wanted to educate others on their background. From there I played around with the idea of starting my own brand that catered to North African countries. I had been thinking about it for a while to the point that I was certain that I wanted to start something. I talked to my parents about the idea, and they agreed. My independent started with me trying to come up with a name. I knew that I wanted to think about incorporating French and Arabic to the name because those are the two commonly spoken languages in the Maghreb region. I wanted a name that joined these countries together, but I also wanted an urban flow to it. I played with the idea of street names, and in France every street name starts with Rue, meaning street or route. Maghreb is the region in North Africa which include three countries such as: Algeria, Morocco,Tunisia. From there, I found the name, Rue Maghreb. I created an instagram handle, and started contacting people I knew to follow and inform others about the brand starting. From there, we started the process of creating a brand!

Now the process included, how do we print shirts? I went to different screen printers across the Chicagoland who would be able to print my designs on shirts. Another question came up, where do I purchase wholesale shirts? How soft does the shirt need to be? Do I cuff the sleeve? Many questions were coming up which may have been the most stressful time of the business planning. It came down to my teachers recommending me to screen print my own shirts because not only was it cheaper, but I would be able to see the process myself. I do not regret printing my shirts one bit, especially because of how picky I am with things. I was able to see the process from building a screen printing frame, to picking the colors I wanted for ink, to printing my very own shirt. I bought the shirts from a wholesale website, and chose the Bella + Canvas brand shirts to work with. Now that that process was over, I needed to take some photos of the merch to put up on the website. My friends and I held a shoot at my house, and then we headed out to Wicker Park to get some shots. Chicago is the best place to take photos, especially when your trying to get the urban vibe for your shots. When I was thinking about the brand, I wanted to make sure that people were aware that the brand is based in Chicago. I grew up in Wicker Park and I think the area has a lot to do with the way I am today. This area has allowed me to express myself, and my culture. I got most of my fashion style from seeing the people around me. Walking around Milwaukee Ave. and seeing everyone's outfits inspired me and made me feel more confident in who I was. I want people to feel the same way with their merch when walking around an area they feel connected to. As we were shooting, my friends and I also felt that confidence with what we were wearing. The shirts fit in and people began asking us where we got our shirts fun which was my very first interaction with people asking me about the brand. It was a great feeling. Here are some clip of the shoot that day!




Lastly, it all came down to creating and designing the website. I needed a domain in order to make the name official! Now that I had settled with the name, Rue Maghreb, I was very confident in the decision I had made. I created the website using Wix.com which was a great way to start off creating a website, especially when you don't have experience. I started thinking about the ways that I wanted to design the website to make sure that it caught everyone's eye. I made sure to release a countdown on instagram to inform my audience to tune into the website when I launched. While I was designing, I also made sure to direct message a bunch of people who were also interested in North African culture. Whether they were North African themselves or already had a shop dedicated to Moroccan rugs or even teapots, I made sure to message anyone and everyone to get the word out that the site was launching. The day I launched, I had people from Antwerp, Belgium which has a huge Moroccan population putting the Rue Maghreb site on their instagram pages. I also had people in Dubai informing their followers. People in the U.S. Three days before the launch, I emailed this beauty influencer who is Moroccan. She is famous for being the very first hijabi model for the popular makeup shop, Sephora. She helped Sephora in making a big step in terms of diversity for the brand. She wore the merch and posted about Rue Maghreb on instagram. Prior to the launch, Rue Maghreb had 138 followers. After the first day of the launch, we made 210 followers! It was great seeing the messages from people who were excited not only for the launch, but also to know that they had always wanted a brand that was dedicated to their culture! Today, you can check out the merch on the Rue Maghreb site!

I am so glad that I started the brand up! I think it was a great experience through everything. Although this is an independent study, I couldn't have done it without the help of my teachers who guided me through questions that kept popping up. I have been able to connect with Moroccans, Algerians, and Tunisians throughout the U.S. and internationally which is awesome. I see some really exciting things happening for the brand very soon. I have two contacts, one in Morocco and the other in Chicago to collaborate with which is really exciting! This independent study was a great way to wrap up the end of the school year!

The Role

In this class, Drama, we looked into the play, A Doll House. This play also looked into gender roles just like the play from the last unit, The Taming of the Shrew.  We went on multiple FE's to the Goodman Theatre where we got some training on how to act and make sure that the plays that we curate are the best they could be. What we were asked to do for this term is have the main character from A Doll's House, Nora, a man, and a character who was a part of The Dinner Party. The Dinner Party was a famous feminist art installation by Judy Chicago. She featured multiple different influential women. We decided to choose the Indian God, Kali for our mythical character. The guiding question for this AP was, What would happen if gender roles were switched in society? Read and watch the rest of my AP to learn more, and check out my groups AP's as well! PA & JNL

Alzheimer's Disease

For this term, Disease, we focused on the function of the brain. We started this unit by reading a book called, The Reason I Jump by Naoki Higashida. This book was written in a Q & A style where there was an interviewer who spoke to this boy named Naoki who is on the Autism Spectrum. This was an interesting read before this unit started. Throughout the unit, we also looked into Schizophrenia. We looked into all sorts of mental disorders that were found in the DSM-V. The DSM-V stands for Diagnostic and Statistical Manual for Mental Disorders. For this AP, we had to choose one mental disorder that was on the DSM-V. From there, we did research, learned criteria, created a simulation, and created a flier that encourages awareness of the mental disorder. Here is my project on Alzheimer’s disease!

Alzheimer's Disease:

Alzheimer’s, also known as Major Neurocognitive Disorder according to the DSM-V, is a “Neurocognitive disorders can affect memory, attention, learning, language, perception, and social cognition,” as stated in the DSM-V. In other words, Alzheimer’s disease is a disease that slowly kills brain cells.This disorder may lead to memory loss, and gradually worsen with the disability to carry on a conversation. Alzheimer’s comes with different stages. Because of the death of brain cells, the brain begins to shrink. Along with that, we begin to see the hippocampus shrink. The hippocampus allows us to have long-term memory. Alzheimer's disease can have a huge affect on your day to day life. Not only for yourself, but the significant others in your life. Richard Taylor, an American Academic who wrote about his life with Alzheimer's stated, "One day I will no longer know how to express love. Bit by bit, everything that connects us will disappear, and I suspect that I won't even miss it." According to the DSM-V, you must experience at least three symptoms that is listed in the criteria in order to be diagnosed with a mental disorder. Most people that are diagnosed with Alzheimer’s/Dementia experience:


1. Complex attention: For example, a person diagnosed with Alzheimer’s is dependent on a caretaker to help them with their daily routine like using the restroom, remembering to pay bills, etc.

2. Learning and memory: The patient may experience memory loss such as forgetting a person who is usually in their everyday life or forgetting their own address. This is caused by the hippocampus slowly destroying itself.

3. Deficiency in perceptual motor skills: Not knowing how to walk, holding a cup, etc. Tasks that you were able to complete in your everyday life are slowly getting harder to accomplish.

Alzheimer Patient Brain (2019) NB

Brain + Brainwaves 

Almost all Alzheimer’s patients brains are affected in the entorhinal cortex and hippocampus region in the brain. The brain waves that are active in the life of a person with Alzheimer’s are difficult to record. They are constantly fluctuating and go off the charts. Although these brain waves vary, neurologists are using Gamma wave therapy to revive some parts of the brain that may not currently be working for patients. Here is a visual representation in parts of the brain that are affected by Alzheimer’s.

Lesson Plan + Brainwave Function

This lesson plan shows the step by step plan of the experience that my peers had to go through for my simulation. It shows the list of materials that were needed to complete the simulation, what was supposed to be going on for each minute, and the brainwaves that should have been active throughout that time in order to convert them onto a graph and create a piecewise function.

Lesson Plan (2019) NB

Graph & Piecewise Function

This graph shows how my peers brains functioned, and which brain waves were active throughout my simulation.

Brainwave Graph (2019) NB

Piecewise function work (2019) NB

Piecewise function (2019) NB

Video of Simulation: 

This simulation shows the recorded experience that my peers went through. This is my lesson plan finally coming to life. The video has some explanation, and different time's when my classmate's experience specific moments. 

  Alzheimer Simulation (2019) NB

Alzheimer Awareness Flier:

Alzheimer Awareness (2019) NB

Conclusion:

To conclude, I thought this AP was interesting to look into. I never found a true interest in neurology until now. I never really understood how much an impact our bodies and lives could have when our brains don't function the right way. I learned that Alzheimer's is a disease that needs more awareness. A cure for Alzheimer's disease is already being looked into deeper and it is my understanding that it's being into by the study of Gamma waves. Brainwave therapy can regenerate parts of the brain that are affected and inoperative due to Alzheimer's/Dementia.

Works Cited:

1. “Major Neurocognitive Disorder.” Major Neurocognitive Disorder – Knowledge for Medical Students and Physicians, www.amboss.com/us/knowledge/Major_neurocognitive_disorder#xid=v30A4f&anker=Zc052cec87a4296e043ba6fcd94d588f1.

2. National Institutes of Health, 13 October 2011,
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Alzheimers_brain.jpg

3. Heerema, Esther. “How Music Therapy Can Benefit Alzheimer's Disease Patients.” Verywell Health, www.verywellhealth.com/using-music-in-alzheimers-disease-97624.

4. Lakotta, Beate. “Interview with Alzheimer Sufferer: 'You Turn Into a Person You Don't Know Anymore' - SPIEGEL ONLINE - International.” SPIEGEL ONLINE, SPIEGEL ONLINE, 28 Feb. 2010, www.spiegel.de/international/zeitgeist/interview-with-alzheimer-sufferer-you-turn-into-a-person-you-don-t-know-anymore-a-688049.html.

#THEFORGOTTENWAR

This is my final AP for Global Peace. During this term, we discussed what it is to become an activist. We were assigned to focus on a certain conflict in the world. I decided to work with a war that not everyone is aware of, the Yemeni Civil War. I made a nonviolent public intervention by posting stickers around different street poles in Chicago to raise awareness. Read and watch my video to learn more about my public intervention.


Citations:
1. Patrick Cockburn @indyworld. “'The Yemen War Death Toll Is Five Times Higher than We Think – We Can't Shrug off Our Responsibilities Any Longer'.” The Independent, Independent Digital News and Media, 26 Oct. 2018, www.independent.co.uk/voices/yemen-war-death-toll-saudi-arabia-allies-how-many-killed-responsibility-a8603326.html.
2. “Yemen Crisis: Why Is There a War?” BBC News, BBC, 18 Dec. 2018, www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-29319423. 3. “Yemen Profile - Timeline.” BBC News, BBC, 5 Nov. 2018, www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-14704951.

Are Humans Interfering the Population of Fennec Foxes?

Welcome to my third and last presentation of Population. Today we will take a further look into the population of these Fennec Foxes in comparison to the country, Algeria. Along with that, I will be listing a couple of fun facts about the Fennec Fox and their symbiotic relationship that they have with humans. We learned how to find the arithmetic or geometric sequences, and you will see how I ended up using that in my AP in order to find the population of the Fennec Fox. Overall, I thought this was a good term. I was able to learn things from a biological standpoint, and even think about future career options.
Geometric or Arithmetic?

When we look into a geometric sequence, this means that the sequence can be multiplied or divided by one specific number in order for the flow of the sequence to stay consistent. While arithmetic sequences can be added or subtracted by one number to make the sequence flow. In this case, since I was not able to find the population for the Fennec Fox. I had to create a geometric sequence in order to get my data for the following nine years. The equation that I used each year was 100(1.3)^n. The 100 is there because of the overall percentage of the foxes. When I was looking into the population of the Fennec Fox I wasn't able to find anything for the overall population, but I was able to find how many are in one liter when born. There are usually three Fennec Foxes in one liter when born according to eol.org. If there are three in one liter, and there are two parents; we divide that number and get 1.5. I decided to lower that number to 1.3 in order to get that separation in Algeria's population to the Fennec Fox population. This is a geometric sequence because I am multiplying by 1.3 each year and the exponent of the equation is changing each time.
Here was my process:

NB % Age process (2018)

Here is a presentation I made about the Fennec Fox along with their symbiotic relationship, or biological interaction they have with humans, my graph explaining my geometric sequence and more!

              

In conclusion, this term allowed me to dive deeper into biology, and the things around me. I was able to become more aware of the relationships humans have with different species that we are surrounded by day to day. I was able to think about what is in store for my future, and future career options that I have. Biomedical Engineering is something that I have been looking into these past 7 weeks, almost the whole term.

Citations:
Drew, Avery, File:Fennec Fox Vulpes zerda.jpg, 28 January 2010, 13:07:16
Kitty Terwolbeck, File:Artis Fennec fox (11114753056).jpg, 26 November 2013, 15:28
User:Jrockley, File:Distribution of the Fennec Fox.png, 23 January 2007

Get out the way GMOs

Throughout my last freshman term at GCE, Food, we were able to dive in deeper in where our food actually comes from. We were asking ourselves, does our food come locally? Why do we transport food? or questions like what are the pros or cons to the use of GMOs? I was more on the Anti side of GMOs being that my mom is a health freak and cares about where everything comes from before purchasing. This is my slideshow of why I am anti-GMOs and what you could do to activate and inform the world about GMOs.

           
                                                            NBE "Anti GMO" June 2018

                       

Gone With The Wind

Throughout my steam course, Fuel, we explored renewable resources such as, wind power, solar power, biomass, geothermal, etc. We were able to go to field experience like Comed where we interacted with different ways to generate energy and how our power is spread throughout the U.S. At the end of this course, we were assigned to produce an infomercial trying to convince an audience to switch to a certain renewable energy source. I chose wind power and here is why...

                

To conclude, switch to wind power. There are pros and cons that you may need to think about, but at the end we all need to think about the issue of global warming. It's time that we take action into our own hands, choose different methods of creating energy, etc. Switch to wind power, other companies like Microsoft are switching as well. Join the movement to fight climate change.

Get Offended: Poem & Performance

Throughout my poem, I spoke about who holds the power in the United States. I feel that this is an important political issue, due to our president speaking about kicking these immigrants out of the country when this country which isn’t his. None of us should be given the power to control our one country that isn’t ours. I try to make the connection with myself and the the topic by having me speak as all of the immigrants by saying “we” as the refugees of Syria, Mexicans, Native Americans, and African immigrants.

The poetic devices that I used were metaphors comparing “we” to the president. For example, “you call us rapists...your father raped the Africans and the Indians and the Arabs and then you get the alluring Puerto Rico.” I use repetition in order to prove my stance, “United States of America… United States of Terror.” I decided not to use alliteration as much through my poem only because I’m not too good at using it. I do like the alliteration of “terra” because you can see how that could lead to so many outcomes in wordplay. If I had more time, I would have liked to have used some more rhyme so that when I would perform I had more cadence.

While I was performing my poem, I did raise and lower my voice at times. I felt like getting louder people would understand the stance that I am taking and my frustration with this situation. I usually feel like no one will listen to what I have to say because I am a teenager and it will not be taken seriously. As I would get, louder I would also increase in speed to let my anger out. If there were points where I was making a remark to our president, I would look down to seem confused, but in a way that I’m saying something where people will realize, “Oh, I didn’t even think of that” or “Exactly, you understand”. If I could improve, it would be improving my hand gestures because I would use them to point to something or to myself but I would have like to have used them for purposes of imagery.

NBE Performs Get Offended from GCE Lab School on Vimeo.

We are the refugees you call terrorists

We are the mexicans you call rapists

We are the Africans you call slaves

We are the founders of YOUR country that you call pocahontas.

We’ve heard

We ’ve tasted

We’ve seen

We've felt the wounds

That are now scars

That become beautiful

Just like how a seed gets planted

Still grows

And as the plant grows

The flower blossoms into something beautiful

Then the flower gets abducted by the soil she grew up in

Terra

Torture

Torment

Territory

Terror

Terrorism

Terrorist
For god's sake
You cause the tears to be drawn by the strongest of people
Tears

He made them cry tears of blood

The founding fathers that founded the “new world”

“They shouldn’t be worried”

“They came here illegally”

Just how YOUR people just came across a country

The goal was to trade

But at the end they traded the people

The people who are MY ancestors

Who are also YOUR ancestors

It even says it in the name
United States of America
United States of Terror

Broken by boundaries

Tethered by territories

Terrified of terrorists

My people.
They keep coming
And they keep going back
They go back because you say we are taking your jobs away

YOUR founding father was the one who stumbled upon America

who assaulted the natives and killed them with the hidden gems

You call us homeless
But it was your  forefathers,

founders of the “New World” who took us  out of Our  land and made US homeless
You
Intoxicated US
Raped US
Sold US
Lynched US
Because your people found out we were useless

Useless

Used

Use

You used US

History repeats itself,
But don’t you learn from your mistakes?
Oh wait
Your people haven’t learned that one yet

So how do you expect me to learn something that your people wrote for me.

You call us rapists

“They’re bringing drugs. They’re bringing crime. But some, I assume, are good people.”

You say we’re your favorite mexicans
YOUR father raped the Africans and the Indians and the Arabs and then you get the alluring Puerto Rico.
And you STILL call it U.S. territory

A part of the United States

Part of the United States of Terror

You

terrorist.
You call us terrorists?
We’re dangerous you say
YOU were the one who used used for the oil that you need to provide for your nation
At the end we just want to provide.
So doesn’t that just make YOU the terrorist?

You call us the names of our past

But what you don’t know is that you had a past

Your past as a rapist

Your past as a terrorist

Your past as an intoxicator

The past of MY people were affected by you

I wonder

Is the pot cracking because there are too many tongues?

Or is it cracking because of the defiance of my people?

The melting pot is cracking

With the roars of the americans you call immigrants

With the punches of frustration that is interrogating the minds of the immigrants

With the mouths of a foreign language although

At one point

Your ancestors’ language was the foreign one

You can take us out

But you must take yourself out first

You’re superior for now

But with the defiance of MY people you will not take us out “your” America