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Culminating #3C: The Inconvenient Indian Thesis

Thesis

In King's, 'Inconvenient Indian', it is apparent that the incorrect use of treaties influenced the post-colonial identity of Indigenous people in North America.

Treaties & Post-Colonial Identity

Before we provide evidence to support the thesis statement, we must first define two major terms in the statement; treaties and post-colonial identity.

Treaties are agreements made between Indigenous people and colonizers primarily created throughout the early centuries during first interactions.

Post-colonial identity is a factor of the post-colonial literary theory that identifies how decolonized people develop an identity based off of different cultural interactions.

Land

“Land. If you understand nothing else about the history of Indians in North America, you need to understand that the question that really matters is the question of land.” (King 218).

In order to support the thesis statement we have to discuss the importance of land to Indigenous and Non-Indigenous people, treaty involvement, and the purpose of reservations. To support these claims, evidence will be taken from Thomas King’s novel and other sources.

Land has always been a source of dispute and the source of multiple treaties, “In North American Indian history, land and treaties are so tightly intertwined that it is hardly possible to separate them.” (King 222).

Land is extremely important to people all across the world, including the Indigenous and Non-Indigenous people of North America. For Indigenous people, land holds a strong connection to culture, “Land has always been a defining element of Aboriginal culture. Land contains the languages, the stories, and the histories of a people.” (King 218). Land to the colonizers or Non-Indigenous people has less of cultural connection as land represents more of currency to them, “The answer is quite simple, and it’s been in plain sight all along. Land. Whites want land.” (King 218).

Treaties have always been a part of the claiming of land- Indian land- in North America, “Treaties, after all, were not vehicles for protecting land or even sharing land. They were vehicles for acquiring land. Almost without fail, throughout the history of North America, every time Indians signed a treaty with Whites, Indians lost land.” (King 224). Currently, its estimated that between the 2267 reserves in Canada, they only own 0.2% of the total area of land in the country.

Reserves are a part of the land claim that happened during colonization as Indigenous people were forced off a majority of their land and forced onto smaller portions of land, to make way for white settlers.

As land claims are beginning to be recognized and settled, Indigenous people are reconnecting with their culture, and traditional land.

Education

Education has been a defining factor for Indigenous people across Canada for many centuries, but the colonial definition of education was brought forth with the opening of residential schools.

In order to support the thesis statement, we have to discuss residential schools and treaty involvement, as well as modern education offered to Indigenous people and how the treaties relate to that.

In 1831 the first residential school opened in Brantford, Ontario, called the ‘Mohawk Institute’. Many residential schools were notorious for being rampant with multiple forms of abuse, teachers harming students, and students harming each other. In the 1870′s residential schools became apart of treaties as the Canadian Government and Plains Nations wanted schooling to be include, though each side had completely different reasons for their want of inclusion.

As mentioned earlier, pushing Indigenous people off their traditional land and onto reserves was a part of treaties. Within that same act, many Indigenous communities were doomed to fail providing proper education to their youth. Many Northern communities struggle to provide proper education to their children as their schools are unsafe and its difficult to provide education equal to the education provided to students in Ottawa, all of this a reflection of their location, as they lack access to the needed resources.

Identity

Identity is apart of culture, what makes you, you. With colonization, many Indigenous people lost connection with their culture through assimilation.

In order to support the thesis statement, we have to discuss the identity of Indigenous people and the involvement of treaties in the topic.

There are more than 50 Indigenous nations and languages, and yet the Government has grouped Indigenous people into three major identities, First Nation, Inuit, and Metis, stripping away the individual cultures of each Nation, “What was needed was a plan to give this snarl of cultures a definitive and manageable form. So, out of ignorance, disregard, frustration, and expediency, North America set about creating a single entity, an entity that would stand for the whole.” (King 82).

In King’s novel, he categorizes Indigenous people into three terms, Dead Indians, Live Indians, and Legal Indians. Dead Indians are the stereotypes of Indigenous people and their culture that North America made out of experience and fear, “They are the stereotypes and clichés that North America has conjured up out of experience and out of its collective imaginings and fears.” (King 53). Live Indians are exactly as they are described, they are the surviving people left over from colonization and assimilation, “Live Indians are fallen Indians, modern, contemporary copies, not authentic Indians at all, Indians by biological association only.” (King 65). Legal Indians are Live Indians, but are identified and classified as Indian by the Government, “Legal Indians are those Indians by the Canadian and U.S. governments. Government Indians, if you like.” (King 68).

Treaties are involved with identity as assimilation came with the treaties, and assimilation is what provoked the loss of culture and language.

Assimilation

Assimilation is the process of absorbing a minority culture into a majority culture.

In order to support the thesis statement, we have to discuss the act of assimilation used against Indigenous people in North America and how the treaties were involved.

Indigenous people were considered a problem, and the colonizers of North America decided it needed to be dealt with. Violence was the first action taken, then came assimilation and education. Indigenous people were stripped of their culture and languages in favor for Christianity.

Treaties, as mentioned before, entailed assimilation, especially considering the loss of sacred land.

Citations

“Residential Schools in Canada.” The Canadian Encyclopedia, www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/residential-schools#:~:text=When did the first residential,first boarding students in 1831.

Google Image Result for Https://I.cbc.ca/1.3972145.1486569774!/FileImage/HttpImage/Image.jpeg_gen/Derivatives/original_780/Book-Cover-the-Inconvenient-Indian-by-Thomas-King.jpeg, images.app.goo.gl/nJwPrU8BNfr7oJEd8.

Google Image Result for Https://Lizfergusonmontrealgazette.files.wordpress.com/2015/09/after-the-Last-River-Kids-Protest.jpg?w=1024&h=577, images.app.goo.gl/iDgWdbjj96cX48k26.

Google Image Result for Https://Upload.wikimedia.org/Wikipedia/Commons/Thumb/5/5d/Numbered-Treaties-Map.svg/1200px-Numbered-Treaties-Map.svg.png, images.app.goo.gl/P1JvuJr2yKdtXBth6.

Google Image Result for Https://Www.ctvnews.ca/polopoly_fs/1.1162357.1361281334!/HttpImage/Image.jpg_gen/Derivatives/landscape_960/Image.jpg, images.app.goo.gl/3BBnc4j2PVgwcoQK7.

Google Image Result for Https://Www.canada.ca/Content/Canadasite/En/Services/Culture/Canadian-Identity-Society/Indigenous-Peoples-Cultures/Funding/_jcr_content/Par/Mwscolumns-row1/Colpar-2/Adaptiveimage/Image.img.jpg/1505135972456.Jpg, images.app.goo.gl/FHYSnRtZk7ekFdNW9.

Cultural Assimilation - Google Search, g.co/kgs/WuXd6R.

Government of Canada; Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada; Communications Branch. “Indigenous Peoples and Communities.” Government of Canada; Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada; Communications Branch, 4 Dec. 2017, www.rcaanc-cirnac.gc.ca/eng/1100100013785/1529102490303.

Government of Canada; Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada; Communications Branch. “Reports - Canada.” Government of Canada; Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada; Communications Branch, 15 Sept. 2010, www.aadnc-aandc.gc.ca/eng/1100100034846/1100100034847.

Government of Canada; Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada; Communications Branch. “Treaties and Agreements.” Government of Canada; Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada; Communications Branch, 30 July 2020, www.rcaanc-cirnac.gc.ca/eng/1100100028574/1529354437231.

KING, THOMAS. INCONVENIENT INDIAN: a Curious Account of Native People in North America. UNIV OF MINNESOTA Press, 2018.

“Postcolonialism.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 3 Nov. 2020, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Postcolonialism#:~:text=Postcolonial theory holds that decolonized,power by the colonial society.

Culminating #2: Outlining English Portfolio

The Persuasive Essay

What Is It?

A persuasive essay is a biased essay used to persuade readers into believing the authors opinion.

The persuasive essay mostly relies on pathos (emotion) more than ethos (reliability) and logos (logic) to convince the reader to believe the author's opinion.

Why Is It Effective?

The persuasive essay is effective due to its allowance of bias, the use of anecdotes and the use of ethos.

The persuasive essay uses clear bias so the reader can be persuaded, instead of argued, into believing the authors point of view.

The use of anecdotes allows for the reader to have a personal insight into the author's experience on the topic instead of reading factly research that the author found. The use of anecdotes ties in with the use of ethos as ethos is the appeal to emotion. When using anecdotes, the reader establishes a personal understanding of the author's experience and is persuaded to feel sympathy or other emotions for the author.

Persuasive essays use ethos in order to provoke the emotional side of readers so they are easily persuaded into believing the authors opinion.

Blog Post

What Is It?

A blog is an online media source often used almost as an online journal with a semi-public audience.

Blogs can cover a large variety of topics and can be heavily biased.

Why Is It Effective?

Similarly to the persuasive essay, blog posts allows bias, and has the ability to appeal to ethos, but the blog post also uses hyperlinks.

Blog posts allow bias as they are written for semi-public audiences and are used as online journals, meaning they aren't made for the entire public. The use of bias in a blog post makes it easier for others who share the same opinion to have easier access to the content, and allows for others to connect with it and be persuaded into believing the author's viewpoint.

As blogs are biased, they have the ability to use ethos in order to appeal to the emotions of their readers. Appealing to a readers emotions can provoke an easier persuasion as the reader is guided into feeling sympathy or other strong emotions for the authors opinion.

Blogs are notable for their use of hyperlinks, which allows the author to link the source of their information right to the borrowed information without providing an awkward looking link in the text, providing a cleaner aesthetic for the blog.

Concept Map

What Is It?

A concept map is a visual representation of the author's understanding on a specific topic.

The concept map takes the basic concept of a topic and breaks it down into smaller ideas or concepts, and highlights the connection of the components in the map.

Why Is It Effective?

The concept map is effective as it is a form of visual media that can be appeal to a specific audience and breaks down a complex topic into a simpler one to better present the authors understanding.

The concept map is a visual form of media, allowing for audience members who find it easier to learn through visualizing to better understand the concept and learn from it.

The concept map breaks down a complex idea in order to make the concept easier to understand and show their understanding to readers. The concept map begins with a main concept, then branches out with the next concept, and another concept extends from that until a complex idea is broken down into a simple one.

Remix

What Is It?

A remix is an ethical combination, transformation, or copy of existing elements in order to make something original.

An example of a remix could be a movie remake as directors take the concept of the original film and add their own ideas or storylines to the original concept in order to put their own twist on the film, such as 'The Texas Chainsaw Massacre' (2003), a remake or remix of the original 1974 film.

Why Is It Effective?

Remixes are effective as they are often a form of visual media, while also being original works to pique the viewers interest.

As most remixes are visual, and use pre-existing elements to create something new, this can attract viewers interest and bring more attention to the concept.

Citations

“Ethos, Logos and Pathos: The Structure of a Great Speech.” Farnam Street, 21 Nov. 2016, fs.blog/2016/11/ethos-logos-pathos/.

Persuasive Writing - Google Search, g.co/kgs/vw9tXv.

Culminating #1D: Which Theory Provided The Most Insight?

After analyzing Thomas King’s, ‘The Inconvenient Indian’, through a reader response lens, archetypal lens, and post-colonial lens, I can confidently state that the Post-Colonial literary theory provides the most insight into the novel.

King’s novel is a non-fiction text that highlights the relationship between colonizer and the colonized, specific to Indigenous and Non-Indigenous people in North America. King’s purpose is to educate all readers on the history of the relationship between Indigenous and Non-Indigenous people and how that relationship is still affected by colonization today.

I have read multiple novels similar to King’s such as ‘Seven Fallen Feathers’ by Tanya Talaga, and ‘Up Ghost River’ by Edmund Metatawabin. The Post-Colonial lens provides the most insight for all of these novels as the novels themselves, and theory provoke criticism of post-colonial identity.

King’s novel is separated into ten chapters;

I. Forget Columbus

II. The End Of The Trail

III. Too Heavy To Lift

IV. One Name To Rule Them All

V. We Are Sorry

VI. Like Cowboys And Indians

VII. Forget About It

VIII. What Indians Want

IX. As Long As The Grass Is Green

X. Happy Ever After

Each chapter discusses a different factor of influence on the relationship between Indigenous people and Non-Indigenous people. Through the Post-Colonial lens the factors are not only influences on the relationship, but on the post-colonial identity of Indigenous people as well.

Each chapter has a quote that is tailored to give insight into what the chapter will be about. For example, chapter 6 ‘Like Cowboys And Indians’ has the quote “’For American Indians, injustice has been institutionalized and is administrated by federal and state governments.’” (King 127). The quote brings to the readers attention that the chapter will be more focused on the legal influences on the relationship between Indigenous and Non-Indigenous people. Through the post-colonial lens the chapter can be viewed as how colonization is still a legal opressor on Indigenous people in North America.

As King’s novel itself is a criticism of colonization, the Post-Colonial literary theory fits perfectly and provides the most insight into the novel, provoking more thought onto how the factors such as land, water, education, etc. all influence post-colonial identity for Indigenous people in North America.

Citations

KING, THOMAS. INCONVENIENT INDIAN: a Curious Account of Native People in North America. UNIV OF MINNESOTA Press, 2018.

Google Image Result for Https://Swedemom-Production.s3.Amazonaws.com/Spree/Images/155292/Original/NMH4540a.Jpg?1580192125, images.app.goo.gl/c1GddWcGJKmwws658.

Foster, Thomas C. How to Read Literature Like a Professor: a Lively and Entertaining Guide to Reading Between the Lines. HarperCollins Canada, Limited, 2017.

Culminating #1C: The Inconvenient Indian Through A Post-Colonial Lens

The Inconvenient Indian, Thomas King & Post-Colonial Literary Theory

The Inconvenient Indian is a non-fiction novel written by Canadian-American author Thomas King. The novel highlights the relationship between Indigenous and Non-Indigenous people in North America since the two had their first encounter many centuries ago.

Thomas King is a Canadian-American author of Cherokee descent born April 24, 1943 in Sacramento, California. King is notable for mostly writing about North America’s Indigenous peoples. King’s work has had him nominated and granted many awards, such as the Governor General’s Literary Award For English-Language Fiction.

The Post-Colonial Literary Theory is the theory that focuses on how elements of literature undermine or reinforce understandings of cultural identity in a post-colonial state.

Colonial Oppression

How Does The Text Represent Various Aspects Of Colonial Oppression?

King’s novel represents various aspects of colonial oppression by analyzing relationships between colonizers and the colonized people, how the colonized are treated by the colonizer, and highlights the lasting products of colonization primarily in Northern America.

Post-Colonial Identity

What Does The Text Reveal About The Problems Of Post-Colonial Identity?

In King’s novel he discusses how the North American Governments and societies identify Indigenous people.

King separates Indigenous people into three groups, Legal Indians, Dead Indians, and Live Indians. Dead Indians are identified as literal dead Indigenous people, and as stereotypes and clichés “They are stereotypes and clichés that North America has conjured up out of experience and out of its collective imaginings and fear.” (King 53). Live Indians are identified as the living Indigenous people in North America “All Native people living in North America today are Live Indians.” (King 61). Legal Indians are the Indigenous people who are identified as Indigenous by North American’s Governments “Legal Indians are those Indians who are recognized as being Indians by the Canadian and U.S. governments. Government Indians, if you like.” (King 68).

How To Read Literature Like A Professor

What Evidence From HTRLLP Can You Like To This Theory?

Chapter 13, ‘It’s All Political’ of HTRLLP can be linked to the Post-Colonial theory as the theory can be seen as political and text that follows the theory can be analyzed for its political factors.

Citations

King, Thomas. The Inconvenient Indian Illustrated: a Curious Account of Native People in North America. Doubleday Canada, 2017.

Google Image Result for Https://Swedemom-Production.s3.Amazonaws.com/Spree/Images/155292/Original/NMH4540a.Jpg?1580192125, images.app.goo.gl/c1GddWcGJKmwws658.

Foster, Thomas C. How to Read Literature Like a Professor: a Lively and Entertaining Guide to Reading Between the Lines. HarperCollins Canada, Limited, 2017.

Culminating #1B: The Inconvenient Indian Through An Archetypal Lens

The Inconvenient Indian, Thomas King & Archetypal Literary Theory

The Archetypal Literary Theory is the theory that focuses on identifying common or recurring archetypes in the texts symbols, narratives, images, etc.

Archetypal Characters

After analyzing the text I’m able to identify King- the author- as the archetypal wise old man role. As King often mentions himself and his actions through the story, as well as providing the information of the non-fiction novel in a more conversational way, I am able to link him as the wise old man.

King offers knowledge in the form of educating readers on the relationship between Indigenous people and Non-Indigenous people, and ends the novel with a parting piece of wisdom, typical with the wise old man role “Ignorance has never been the problem. The problem was and continues to be unexamined confidence in western civilization and the unwarranted certainty of Christianity. And arrogance. Perhaps it is unfair to judge the past by the present, but it is also necessary.” (King 265).

Archetypal Symbols

After analyzing the text I’m able to identify that land is symbolic of two things, Indigenous culture and superiority.

The land represents many things for Indigenous people, but to generalize it, it would represent Indigenous identity “Land has always been a defining element of Aboriginal culture. Land contains the languages, the stories, and the histories of a people.” (King 218).

For Non-Indigenous people, especially colonizers, land symbolized superiority as land became almost a form of currency and control. The more land controlled, the more power over a people they had.

How To Read Literature Like A Professor

What Evidence From HTRLLP Can You Link With This Theory?

Chapter 1, “Every Trip Is A Quest (Except When It’s Not)” of Foster’s novel ‘How To Read Literature Like A Professor’ connects with the archetypal literary theory the most as Foster discusses archetypes in literature and when they do or don’t apply.

Citations

King, Thomas. The Inconvenient Indian: a Curious Account of the Native People in North America. Doubleday, 2012.

Google Image Result for Https://Swedemom-Production.s3.Amazonaws.com/Spree/Images/155292/Original/NMH4540a.Jpg?1580192125, images.app.goo.gl/Em8R25utvotkcsUh8.

Foster, Thomas C. How to Read Literature Like a Professor: a Lively and Entertaining Guide to Reading Between the Lines. HarperCollins Canada, Limited, 2017.

Culminating #1A: The Inconvenient Indian Through A Reader Response Lens

The Inconvenient Indian, Thomas King & Reader Response Theory

The Reader Response Literary Theory is the theory that focuses on how the reader interacts with the text provided and analyzes how the reader responds to the text.

The Repertoire Of Personal And Literary Experience

What Connections Are You Making Between Events In Your Experiences And Novel Experiences?

King’s novel discusses the relationship between Indigenous people and Non-Indigenous people, a topic I am further researching as I am Ojibwe and understand the importance of identifying issues amongst Indigenous and Non-Indigenous relationships.

Does The Book Remind You Of Other Books You Have Read?

King’s ‘Inconvenient Indian’ reminds me of three other non-fiction novels I have read based on Indigenous issues within Canada, written all by Indigenous authors.

-’Seven Fallen Feathers’ by Tanya Talaga

-’Up Ghost River’ by Edmund Metatawabin

-’Children Of The Broken Treaty’ by Charlie Angus

The Implied Author

What Impression Is The Book Giving You Of The Kind Of Person Who Wrote It?

Without doing any prior research and analyzing the author on the text alone, I would assume the author is Indigenous and highly educated on the history of Indigenous people, especially in North America as he provides personal insight of his own life as an Indigenous person while relaying points in history that affected Indigenous people.

The Implied Reader

What Kind Of Reader Do You Think The Author Had In Mind As His Audience For The Book?

I believe King had both Indigenous and Non-Indigenous readers in mind as his audience for the novel as its purpose is to educate readers on the strained relationship of Indigenous and Non-Indigenous people.

Are You Having Any Difficulty Suspending Your Own Worldviews Sufficiently To Enable The Book To Work On You?

I did have difficulty suspending my own worldviews sufficiently to enable the book to work on me during a chapter that brought to my attention the fact that Cherokee people had been slave owners. I had always believed that Indigenous people had been wronged throughout Indigenous/Non-Indigenous history and the slave owning shocked me as it changed my belief or view that Indigenous people and black people were connected in the way they were wronged by colonization and history.

Ideology

What Is The Ideology Of This Text?

The ideology of King’s novel is the relationship between Indigenous people and Non-Indigenous people, how it came to be so strained, and how it can approve for a better future.

Reflection

What Are You Learning About Yourself As A Person?

After considering the previous questions, I have learned about myself that I’m beginning to refine my literature preferences and am becoming more educated in Indigenous history and issues.

What Are You Learning About Yourself As A Reader?

As a reader I’m learning how to efficiently read novels, especially if I start them and decide I’m not that interested but still want to finish the novel. I’ve learned how to efficiently read by organizing my reading into a schedule, ie. reading a specific amount of chapters each day.

How To Read Literature Like A Professor

What Evidence From HTRLLP Can You Link With This Literary Theory?

Chapter 24, “Don’t Read With Your Eyes”, in Foster’s novel links with the Reader Response Theory as it discusses removing yourself from your own worldview in order to better understand and interact with a novel set in a different time period.

Citations

King, Thomas. The Inconvenient Indian: a Curious Account of the Native People in North America. Doubleday, 2012.

Thomas King - Google Search, g.co/kgs/EjM8SV.

Google Image Result for Https://d11zer3aoz69xt.Cloudfront.net/Media/Catalog/Product/Cache/1/Image/1200x/9df78eab33525d08d6e5fb8d27136e95/h/o/how_to_read_literature_like_a_professor_book_revised_edition_1500.Jpg, images.app.goo.gl/o5ZRpVyKbzk7YCrG8.

Foster, Thomas C. How to Read Literature Like a Professor: a Lively and Entertaining Guide to Reading Between the Lines. HarperCollins Canada, Limited, 2017.

“The Inconvenient Indian.” Google Books, Google, books.google.ca/books/about/The_Inconvenient_Indian.html?id=xTmgAMJqfc4C&source=kp_book_description&redir_esc=y.

“The Inconvenient Indian | CBC Books.” CBCnews, CBC/Radio Canada, 19 Sept. 2019, www.cbc.ca/books/the-inconvenient-indian-1.3972080.

Adnan Syed: Innocent Or Guilty?

Adnan Syed & Hae Min Lee

((TRIGGER WARNING: Murder & brief mentions of sexual violence))

Who?

Hae Min Lee:

Hae Min Lee is the victim of the case. Lee was strangled to death sometime between her disappearance, January 13 1999, and February 9, 1999, the date which her body was discovered.

Lee immigrated to America from Korea with her mother and brother when she was twelve.

Lee was described as an athletic, kind and likeable girl, with many remembering her fondly.

Adnan Syed:

Adnan Syed is the convicted murderer of the case. Syed was Hae Min Lee’s ex-boyfriend and was sentenced to life in prison for her death at the age of 17.

Syed’s romantic involvement with Hae Min Lee, as well as his Muslim religion made him suspect number one in the case and ultimately led to his conviction.

Syed’s guilt is under question, with many torn on whether or not he killed Hae Min Lee.

Asia McClain:

Asia McClain was a classmate of Adnan Syed that claimed she saw Syed at the library during the time that Hae Min Lee is believed to have been murdered.

McClain never officially made her statement in court during Syed’s trial as no lawyer ever contacted her. McClain also revealed that the library had video surveillance of Syed had the library. That footage was never studied or retrieved.

Don Clinedinst:

Don Clinedinst was Hae Min Lee’s boyfriend at the time of her disappearance. They met at the mall where they both worked.

Reportedly Clinedisnt and Lee were only together 13 days before Lee’s disappearance. Clinedisnt remembered Lee very fondly.

Jay Wilds:

Jay Wilds was used as the key witness to condemn Adnan Syed. Wilds and Syed knew each other as they smoked weed together, and through Wilds’ girlfriend, Stephanie Mcpherson.

Wilds claimed that he helped bury Hae Min Lee’s body and was reportedly paranoid Syed or ‘his people’ were going to harm Wilds or Mcpherson. Wilds even led authorities to the location of Lee’s car.

Wilds reliability and involvement in Hae Min Lee’s murder is under question as his statements changed multiple times, as well as the fact he reportedly had Syed’s car and cell phone the day of Lee’s disappearance.

Jenn Pusateri:

Jenn Pusateri was a friend of Jay Wilds and claims she saw Adnan Syed and Wilds together the day of Hae Min Lee’s disappearance. Pusateri also claimed that Wilds told her Syed had murdered Lee.

Cristina Gutierrez:

Cristina Gutierrez was Adnan Syed’s initial defense attorney before she was replaced by Charles H. Dorsey III, after the Judge on the case called Gutierrez ‘a liar’ and declared a mistrial.

Detective Ritz & Detective Macgillivary:

Detectives Ritz and Macgilivary were the head investigators of Hae Min Lee’s murder, having interviewed Jay Wilds four times. The detectives noted that Wilds story was constantly changing.

The Crime

February 9 1999 the partially buried body of 18-year old Hae Min Lee is discovered in Leakland Park, Baltimore, Maryland, less than a month after her disappearance. Lee was strangled before her partially undressed body was dumped in the park where she would later be discovered.

Hae Min Lee was last seen January 13 1999, spotted by multiple classmates leaving the school campus in her 1998 Nissan Sentra (which authorities would be led to on February 28 1999).

Hae Min Lee was determined to have been manually strangled, with no obvious signs of sexual trauma, although a r*pe kit was never tested. It was apparent Lee had been murdered, but who killed her and why?

The Evidence/Trial

It is important to note there was no physical evidence (DNA) linking Adnan Syed to the case.

~On February 12 1999, an anonymous caller tells authorities to consider Adnan Syed as a suspect.

~On February 28 1999, Adnan Syed is arrested for the murder of Hae Min Lee.

~Attorney Kevin Urick claims Syed killed Lee over their recent breakup.

~Prosecutor's used Syed’s Muslim religion against him, “They weren’t able to find evidence that Adnan was a violent boyfriend or that he had a history of being abusive, so they had to plug in his religion as a substitute,”

~Proceedings took six weeks, and yet, the jury had made their decision within two hours.

~February 25 2000, Adnan Syed is convicted with the murder of Hae Min Lee. He is sentenced to life + 30yrs in prison.

Case Updates

After the Serial podcast, Asia McClain came forward and was able to testify in court. With McClain’s testimony Syed was granted a post-conviction trial in 2016.

Unfortunately, the Supreme Court denied the appeal of Adnan Syed’s case in 2019. He remains in prison, and the mystery of who killed Hae Min Lee remains unsolved.

The Question

Based on the evidence, or lack thereof, I believe Adnan Syed is innocent. Based on Jay Wilds constantly changing story, the rather concrete alibi of Adnan Syed, the possible connection between Hae Min Lee and another Asian woman's murder, I believe Adnan Syed is innocent.

There is not enough physical evidence to link or condemn Syed to Lee’s murder, and religion is not a valid piece of evidence. Therefore, I believe Syed is innocent and he is serving time in prison for someone else’s crime.

What My Blog Medium Allows Me To Do Better Than Other Forms Of Medium

Using a blog as my medium allows me to better express my opinion in a structured format better than other mediums, such as podcasts and vlogs. A blog allows me to express my opinion with a better structured execution that can be edited, whereas vlogs and podcasts can’t be altered the same way as it is spoken word. I can also combine my opinion with visual components in order to provide more insight on the topic.

#true crime #schoolwork #adnansyed #haeminlee #english #englishwork

Medium Is The Message: The Alibi By Serial Podcast

Season One of the Serial podcast covers the 1999 murder of Hae Min Lee. Episode one is centered around the initial disappearance, followed by the arrest and conviction of Lee’s boyfriend, Adnan Syed- who claims he is innocent.

In the beginning, Sarah Koenig, the narrator, discusses the challenges of memory which later proves to be vital to the case and brings an interesting viewpoint on a piece of evidence that could either defend Syed or prove his innocence.

I enjoyed the podcast episode fairly well as I do enjoy watching, reading, and listening to true crime stories. The episode was very informational while remaining conversational and had excellent interviews, which makes coverage of a true crime story even more interesting. This method (podcast) of covering a story such as this is more engaging, in my opinion. Although I enjoy reading, I find with cases like this I can become mixed up lost, while in a podcast form, it’s as if I am discussing the case with someone who is very informed on the case and it’s details.

Although I enjoy podcasts, the ethics of podcasts such as Serial can become a little blurred, especially regarding the family of the victims that are in the center of true crime podcasts. I believe Lee’s family would maybe appreciate the popularity of Serial as it could bring more attention to Lee’s case, more insight to what could have happened. In the narrative that the Lee family believes Syed is innocent, Serial’s popularity could help bring closure to the family by finding Lee’s killer. In the narrative that the Lee family believes Syed is guilty the Lee family may not appreciate the popularity of Serial as it could be re-opening the wound and loss of Hae, which could be harmful to their well-being.

Overall, the podcast proved to be well developed, informational and non-biased, regarding how the information was provided.

hipengblog

Blog #1. Should Grade 12 University Level English Be A Requirement For Entry Into All University Programs?

Yes. I believe that Grade 12 English should be a requirement for University Pathways. Many University programs, even non-english ones, require long papers such as a thesis, a lab report, essays, etc. Being able to write long papers is a necessity for University students.

Grade 12 English cultivates those skills and prepares students that are graduating for University.

English is a base for communication in Canada, English is Canada’s most commonly used language.

Employers and schools look for good grammar, proper punctuation, spelling, and lack of informal tones and language. Usually when applying to a university an application essay is required. They are looking for professional students that know how to be unique and knowledgeable in their writing.

So yes, I believe that Grade 12 English should be a requirement for University programs. It teaches student extensive languages, how to properly write essays, and it prepares them for many University programs.

rorythom

Great post! :) Lots of useful and well stated-information. Unfortunately I have to disagree with you :(. I believe college level English provides enough of an understanding to suffice students pursuing university programs that don’t heavily involve English or literacy.

Overall, valid opinion and wonderfully executed post :)

Should Grade 12 University Level English Be A Requirement For Entry Into All University Programs?

I disagree that grade 12 university level English should be a requirement for entry into all university programs, because I believe grade 12 university level English should only be required for university programs involving literacy, as students with grade 12 college level English pursuing programs with little to no connection to English already have a basic understanding of literacy to function in their respective careers.

Grade 12 university level English should only be required for university programs that rely on a deeper and heavier knowledge of literacy. Students pursuing a career either heavily involved or surrounding English should undoubtedly be required to take grade 12 university level English in order to have a deeper knowledge on the subject. In comparison, you wouldn’t want an individual with only a college level understanding of math teaching a university level of math.

Many careers don’t require a vast knowledge in English, even in university programs. Which is why I believe students with only a grade 12 college level English credit should be allowed to have access to these programs. Grade 12 college level English educates students on the same fundamentals of writing and reading as grade 12 university does, it just doesn’t cover it as vastly as university level does. A certain level of English understanding should not block students from pursuing careers that don’t necessarily require the subject.

I wholeheartedly disagree that grade 12 university level English should be required for entry into all university programs, because many careers that students pursue do not require a vast knowledge of English.

#education #university #requirements #english #literacy #grade12 #highschool

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