Digital Voices

Speech students visited the Wall that Heals when it came to Charlotte over the Memorial Day weekend. This is a reflection of their experience.

Vietnam speech

Josh’s speech

I believe that everyone should be treated with the same respect as everyone else. Anyone should be able to walk anywhere in this world and not be made fun of because they are “different”. When I say someone’s different, I mean there is a physical or mental problem with them. It’s not right to make fun of someone for something that they have no control over. Just because someone thinks differently then you do or talks differently then you do doesn’t give you the right to make fun of them.

Teasing someone because of any reason is never a right thing. It makes the person that has a problem feel even worse about themselves and it makes you look like a jerk. I hate teasing a lot and I wish it would all just stop. Teasing is a huge problem and it makes people do things that they normally would never do.

If you’ve ever been teased, then you know how that feels. You feel empty and you hurt inside. You feel like you’re worth nothing and you start trying to figure out what you did to deserve this. When the teasing gets worse, you just want everything in your life to end.

I have personally been teased in my life and when it happened, I felt really bad about myself. I used to get home and just start crying, trying to let out all the hurt and pain. I felt so horrible and miserable and I thought that there was no one that I could talk to about getting teased. I shut out the whole world. Nothing in my life mattered.

Not only did I get teased a lot but I also used to tease a lot of kids growing up to try and make up for feeling so bad. There was one kid whose name was Tyler that I teased really badly. I used to pick on him and hate him as much as I could. Looking back, I realized that I should have never said those things and put him through that. I’m really sorry for everything that I ever did to him. Even now, six years later, I still feel bad for all of the things that I did. Every insult that I ever said to anyone wasn’t right and now I have to live with that rare type of guilt for the rest of my life.

From all of my experiences in this field, I have realized that no one should ever get teased or made fun of under any circumstances. You should never make fun of someone because you personally feel bad about yourself. If you only remember one thing from this speech, then just remember that teasing someone is never at all right. I hope that after this speech that you now see people the same way that I see them. People that have real problems and real emotions. That is what I believe and I will continue to believe it, forever.

Listen to Mitch’s speech 

My mother always said, “What goes around, Comes around”. It took me a little while to figure out what she truly meant. When I was little, I thought she meant, stop beating up my little sister, but now I know that was only the half of it. What she was really saying was; “Do nice things for others and nice things will happen to you”.

I found that the saying, “What goes around, comes around” had a bigger and more powerful word for it, Karma. If you believe in Karma then good things will come to you. In Buddhism, seen as bringing upon oneself inevitable results, good or bad, either in this life or in a reincarnation, is the definition of Karma. To put that definition into simpler form, it’s saying; if your kind and do helpful things for another, then good and helpful things will happen to you. On the other side, if you are mean and not willing to help others, then you will not receive good things/fortunes. That doesn’t just refer to you while you’re living, but also thee after life.

I’m a firm believer in karma. That’s way no matter what the situation might be, I will be looking for a way to help someone that needs it. For example; there is an older man that I work with, he is a nice person at heart, but went through some rough points in his life, and he is still trying to recover from his past. I can tell he has a good heart, and he is always trying to be a good example to others, and give them advice. He also try’s to better himself everyday. That’s why I try to help him any way he needs it. A lot of the time I give him rides home, because he doesn’t have a car, and he lives five miles from work. Most of the time he says; “I’ll walk home, but thanks”. But I insist on giving him a ride home. And every now and then he will pay me some gas money, or we would go to play pool and hang out after a hard day of work with me.

I hope that everyone would think more about karma, and of what they could do to help someone out that deserves it. There are a lot of good hearted people in this world that need just a little bit of help to get back on their feet. Sometimes it just takes a little help and encouragement to get them out of the slump their in. And if you help them then one day if you ever need help then Karma will catch up with you, and you will receive the help you need.

By Jennifer

Listen to Jennifer’s speech

I am a woman.

I can go to school, have a career, own property, testify in court, get married or divorced as I please, vote, run for office.

But not all women can. Many are robbed of these basic rights, simply because of their sex. This isn’t an exclusively “woman’s issue” just because it has to do with women. It’s a human issue. I have been blessed with a voice, and I plan to use it to speak out for all women not given these rights, for all humans who are not treated with justice. I believe that the fight for women’s rights is not over.

I believe that the fight for women’s rights is not over, because arranged marriages are still forcing young women to marry strangers whom they do not love worldwide. The girls do no get a say in these arrangements and they are often made out of convenience of their family, for wealth, or to extend their family connections.

I believe that the fight for women’s rights is not over, because women are punished for not adhering to strict cultural laws outlining their religion, dress, behavior, and activities. Women who refuse to cover all but their eyes are brutally beaten or murdered, and made an “example” for any other women who find the courage to rebel.

I believe that the fight for women’s rights is not over because “honor killings” are still practiced. These murders occur when the family feels their daughter has dishonored their family name by not following religious laws, having “inappropriate relations” with men including hand holding or hugs, or even for being a victim of rape! They have done nothing except be victimized, and yet they are allowed no voice. Instead, their lives are ended for them.

I believe that the fight for women’s rights is not over, because Women are stilled denied an education. Women are still expected to stay in the home, and raise children, cook, clean. There is nothing wrong with being a mother, or with society expecting you to raise your own children. But how are they supposed to raise smart children if they themselves do not have an education? How can they manage the household affairs if no one ever bothered to teach them math? Author Greg Mortenson said, “Educate a man, and he will go out and get a good job, and take his family away from home. Educate a woman, and she will stay to make a difference, to educate her children.”

I believe the fight for women’s right’s is not over because women and children are trafficked for sex. They are sold, abducted, or traded for the personal pleasure of rich men. From this forced slavery, women experience pains both emotional and physical, and their health is compromised. Most never have a choice, being used until no one wants them any longer.

I believe the fight for women’s right’s is not over because these women are people too; people entitled to the same life, liberty and pursuit of happiness that we all are. These women are our sisters, and they need our voices.

Your voice.
My voice.

I believe that the fight for women’s rights is not over.

I believe in Learning from Past Mistakes

Kassie’s speech
“The one who makes no mistakes in life, usually gains nothing in life” this is a quote that stood out to me by William Magee. I believe that the best teacher in life can often be yourself. You make decisions, whether they are good or bad you make them, and in the end will endure the consequences, and hopefully learn from them. If anything, maybe you can be a teacher to someone else who sees what you go through, and learn from it.

I grew up in an environment where I had to be an adult sooner than most kids. My mom was out all the time working two jobs – the life that most single mothers live and I had to become the head of the household while she was working. When I was about 10 years old, my uncle moved in with us, fresh out of rehab. He had just lost everything – his wife, kids, job – literally everything. When he moved in, my mom had set very strict rules for him and me. He was to stay at the house with my sister, brother and I, and help us with homework and housework until he could get a job – but I was supposed to baby-sit him? He had a drug problem and had relapsed before. At first it went great. It was so nice not having to be the parent for once, but as time went on, money started coming up missing, and he started leaving as soon as I would get home from school, and always told me not to tell my mom. My mom expected me to baby-sit him, but how was I, barely ten years old supposed to stop a full grown drug addict from getting a fix? Not knowing how I was supposed to stop him, and not wanting to start a fight between my mom and her brother, I didn’t say anything. Eventually one day, he left and didn’t come home. When my mom got home later that night she asked where my Uncle was, so I told her about all of his little outings he would take. She, like I had anticipated was not very happy. At about three in the morning I heard a loud noise and went out into the living room to warn my uncle about what my mom knew. At first I didn’t see him, it was really dark. I turned on the lamp next to the couch where he slept, when I looked over the back of the couch I screamed. There was my uncle, half on the couch and half on the floor shaking uncontrollably, a yellow foamy matter coming out of his mouth. I just stood there shaking myself, standing for what felt like forever, just staring at my uncle’s trembling body. My mom came running out of her bedroom, and yelled at me to call 911. A lot of the night has become a blur, but the next thing I remember was my mom crying as the back doors of the ambulance shut, and then I was in the waiting room of the hospital with my pajamas and winter coat on just staring at the doors that the doctors kept coming in and out of, the same one my mom was pacing in front of.

He had overdosed from crack-cocaine. Now my uncle has been clean for almost nine years – the night of his near-death experience changed his life. He never used again. I know that I would never do anything to abandon or hurt my family – especially the ones that went out of their way to help and protect me. My thing is that I experienced my uncle’s mistake and know that I will never follow in his foot-steps. I did learn from his mistakes, although he paid for the consequences I learned that night that I would never use. To me, experiencing my uncle’s struggle with drugs taught me more than any D.A.R.E. or health class ever has – because I witnessed first-hand the devastation tied to it. I believe people who make mistakes can change. Always give people a second chance because they way I see it they’re still learning. I believe in learning form past mistakes.

I understand now that podcasting is a way to express yourself more deeply than in writing. The technology is great and unbelievable how you can hear sounds that kind of help take you to the the place the speaker is trying to take you to. I like podcasts because you can hear the passion and sincerity in the persons voice more than you could in writing. I listened to “wilderness” and “A reference for all life”. I choose those because I like things about nature and the natural world. At one point I stayed with a tribe of Mojave Indians and I really love and respect all that they represent, and those speeches seemed to represent some of their morals.

I understand that it is an audio or MP3 recording which people from all over the world can listen to via the internet. The sound quality was much better than I expected. Everything was clear and articulate, with no feedback like old recordings used to do.

I listened first to “It is Time to Help”, which written by a high school senior passionate about solving world hunger. She went to a camp that allowed her to experience life like the underprivelaged in foreign countries, an experience that opened her eyes to the heartaches of the world. I chose to listen to this podcast because I am interested in humanitarian works. The aspect of her podcast that was most memorable would be her description of life as a tribal woman, cooking over an open fire, pumping and hauling water, etc. Her imagery was very effective.

I also listened to a podcast by Elie Weisel. I chose to listen to this podcast because I have read a lot about him, and I think that it is very important to listen to the survivors of Nazi camps and learn from them, so that we may prevent a repetition of history. His stories were memorable, and his lessons were wise and authoritative.

I thought that the introductions were interesting, because they gave the speaker more authority over their topic, and let the audience start to know them a little bit better. The most effective introductions gave information about the speaker that pertained to their topic, were intriguing, and brief.

1. I understand now how you use podcast. I understand that people use podcast to get more informational feedback from people all over the country. I noticed that the technology is more advanced for the podcast, and the sounds people use to make the speech more interesting for you to listen to.

1. I listened to one of the This I Believe essays. It was “A Feeling of Wildness”. I chose this essay because it sounded fun and crazy and very interesting. What really stood out to me about the speech is that it sounded free and just made you think that you could let out for a little bit and relax.

1. What i noticed about the introduction speech is that it was a different form of speaking from the NPR speeches.

This I Believe
Same Sex Marriage

Caitlinn’s speech

There are two people walking down the street holding hands. They sneak a kiss and are rewarded with dirty glares and crude remarks from others. They are homosexuals. Homosexuality is when you like just the same sex, and heterosexuality is when you like only the opposite sex. There is also bisexuality where you like both males and females. It is all the same to me. You should be able to love whoever you want to.
Love is love… is it not? Whether you’re black, white, Asian, bisexual, transsexual, or heterosexual, the affection stays the same. Love doesn’t become wrong and tainted just because you’re a man who adores another man or a woman who adores another woman. Carl Jung a famous Swiss psychiatrist says, “The meeting of two personalities is like the contact of two chemical substances: if there is any reaction, both are transformed.” Love can transform you, if you care about a person with all of your heart you can transform for them. Does it really matter if you’re a hetero or a homosexual couple?
Whether you’re in a relationship with a male, female or both, it doesn’t mean you’re this nasty person that when someone touched you they become gay too. Homosexuality is not a disease. You can’t contract it. James Baldwin a famous black author who is also homosexual says, “Everybody’s journey is individual. If you fall in love with a boy, you fall in love with a boy. The fact that many Americans consider it a disease says more about them than it does about homosexuality.” I completely agree. We do not have some fatal disease. We are Americans and we have the same feelings so why should laws restrict our freedom to marry whomever we want? The only state that will allow same sex marriage is Massachusetts. It’s legal in The Netherlands, Belgium, Spain, Canada, and South Africa also. Other states that will allow you to get a civil union or domestic partnership, which is like marriage but without the marriage certificate, are New Jersey, New Hampshire, Connecticut, Vermont, and just recently California. These are the only states that will acknowledge the fact gay people may want to get married too.
Since these states are the only ones that allow you to obtain anything close to a marriage certificate it’s really not that important because even if you get married or obtain a civil union or domestic partnership you are still not able to leave your estate or money to your spouse in your will, claim social security, get a joint income tax return like married hetero couples because of the laws against same sex marriage. We are denied so many of our rights because we dare to say, “Hey, I’m different and I’m happy with that!” Everyone knows it exists and most people are okay with it. Almost everybody at one point in their lives will know, met, or make friends with a homosexual person.
The people of this world are fascinated with homosexuals and there are several movies and t.v. series across the world featuring gay and lesbian couples. The most famous movie would be Brokeback Mountain starring Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal that came out in 2005. Another movie is Prom Queen which came out in 2003 in Canada. A t.v. series in the United Kingdom about gays is Queer as Folk. A movie with a lesbian couple in it would be The Jane Austen Book Club based on the novel by Karen Joy Fowler in 2007. All across the world homosexuality is considered an issue when really it isn’t. Everybody’s curiosity about gays and lesbians and will always be there. We may have some minor differences as in I’m blonde and your brunette but other than that we are exactly the same. So why is it so easy to classify being homosexual as being different. If homosexuality was what we considered to be right and heterosexuality was what we thought of as different… how would you feel to be the one at the butt of everyone’s jokes and taunts? Just think about that before you decide to make fun of someone for being homosexual or bisexual.

megan.mp3

I believe hard work pays off. There are many people who have dreams of doing something or becoming someone but for some reason they do not try to make those dreams come true. Maybe because they think it’s too hard and will never be able to do it or it requires them over coming their fears that they are not ready to face. Whatever it is, if you work hard it is possible to reach your goal.
My problem was that I was getting bad grades and I wanted to get straight A’s. The only thing stopping me was thinking I would never be able to do it. One day I went to my mom telling her my problem. Giving me some advice she told me that I could achieve my goal if I worked hard by paying attention in class, taking notes, doing all my work and trying my very best and I could eventually reach my goal. I took her advice and did just that.
The new midterm just started. Everyday in each of my four classes I paid attention, to my teachers and wrote down notes. When we had tests I aced them. I did my homework everyday and did the very best I could. Everyone starts out with an A in the beginning of the midterm and I was able to keep that grade in each of my four classes all the way to the end of the midterm.
When I walked in my house that day I saw my mother sitting down at the kitchen table. She was holding a newspaper in both of her hands. When she heard that I came inside she put the newspaper down and smiled at me. Looking very happy she said you did it Megan, you made the all A honor role, you achieved your goal. So like I said hard work really does pays off. I reached my goal, so why can’t you?