Something good about American society today is the toleration of other ethnicities and nationalities. While we still have a long way to go, racism here isn’t tolerated the same as in Europe or Asia. At soccer matches in Europe you’ll see African players being racially abused. Racism is more blatant in Europe but it is an ignored problem. Additionally, in China and the rest of Eastern Asia, black people are treated differently and not treated as an equal. In Northwestern China, thousands of Uyghur Muslims are being detained and possibly killed. This is blatant racism by the Chinese government and it is an ignored problem. Overall, while the US is not perfect, we have made much more progress towards combating racism and for that reason I am proud to be American.

I am reading the book Internment by Samira Ahmed. It’s a book in future America where fearmongering about Muslims has reached an all-time high, and they are sent by the US government into internment camps like Japanese Americans in WW2. It is from the perspective of a teen Muslim girl named Layla. The book is tense and highlights the mass hysteria about the “danger” of Muslim Americans.

It is better to have an outlandish dream rather than no dream at all. When we work towards perfection, we will not reach it, but we will get pretty close. Working towards a major goal keeps us disciplined to achieve our outlandish dream. Maybe we may reach that outlandish dream, and if not, we at least know we were working towards something worthwhile. It is better to make progress towards something impossible than make no progress at all.

We can control the kind of person we grow up to be. Surrounding ourselves with the right people is important. We will become more like our friends and if our friends are lazy and unsuccessful, then we will also stay unsuccessful. How “success” is defined is different for everyone, so everyone can be successful if they really work at their goals.

For my Independent Novel, I read Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury. I created a test for my project.

Test Link:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1uPClJ5xfy11bAto7w-hKamRtdvtqZQlMYq0Ab9Pl5mw/edit?usp=sharing

Answer Key Link:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/13jP7_M1YeCjJsubmAp0F9sVY-1arCGxKWxVbQUnhWs4/edit?usp=sharing

The article is about how conformity kills individuality in teens. While conformity is necessary for a society to function, too much conformity can make people feel it is wrong to be themselves. Also, without non-conformists, society wouldn’t advance for the better. Overall, too much conformity can cause a lack of originality, which is a major problem many people, especially teens, face.

I completely agree with this article. I struggle to balance individuality with conformity because following the crowd is so much easier. However, sometimes you have to disagree with others and be original.

What can we do to increase individuality in our society?

To what extent should we conform, and to what extent do we be original?

https://medium.com/teens-in-the-21st-century/conformity-kills-individuality-35a398880fa5

I read the book Farenheit 451. I think the book was surprising in many ways, and I think the message still applies to this day. I’d recommend it to anyone who likes dystopias, and anyone wanting to read a dystopian novel. My project will be a test about the book.

People in America should be unique and have individuality; however, they should contribute to society for the greater good. America is a country based on individualism, and you can achieve the freedom to do whatever you want if you get enough money. However, people with so much money can forget where they came from and not give back to the community. We should be unique individuals with our own money, but we should all give back to the poorest people who do all the hard work that runs America.

Many of our actions reflect what society pushes us to do. Numerous people play a sport or do after-school activities because their parents force them to. People follow the rules not because they want to but because they fear getting into trouble. Some people live how they want and are autonomous. However, the average person conforms to society. What we can do about this is to be more encouraging of different people rather than force them to conform. We also have to admit that conformity isn’t completely bad. We must conform to be a part of society and build connections with others.

I chose the book Fahrenheit 451. I chose this book because it is a dystopian classic. The book is controversial; it is banned in several US schools. The story is about a world where books are outlawed, and any books found are burnt. The book is a social commentary on censorship, freedom of speech, and more. So far, the book doesn’t seem like a book that would be banned. I find it ironic that a book about censorship is getting censored. The book starts with a fireman named “Guy Montag”; however, instead of putting out fires, he starts them. Traditional firemen are no longer needed since all houses are fireproof; instead, firemen burn books. Overall, it will be a good read and a worthy classic to learn from.