English II
Reflection 10-11
Second Semester
Name: Carrie Anderson
Directions: Please word process and double-space your responses to the following questions directly below
the question. Answer in complete and thoughtful sentences. (Each answer should be approximately one
paragraph.)
1. Reflecting on your coursework this year, in which areas have you done well? What are you most
proud of?
This year, I think I am most proud of the reading and vocabulary quizzes. I have worked hard
to keep up with the class reading to make sure I know what we are talking about in class so I
understand the quizzes. I am proud of my quiz grades because I know I did considerably well on them.
I know I was consistent throughout the year. I was also very consistent on my vocabulary quizzes; I got
a 90 or 100 every time.
2. Check back to the goals you set for yourself at the end of the first semester; discuss why you feel these
goals were or were not accomplished. Were they realistic? Could success or failure truly be measured?
My first goal was to get more involved with the Read to Feed program. I actually do not think I
accomplished this goal. As the year went on I became lazier. I did still read fun books, like I kept
reading Harry Potter, but that is mostly the subject I stayed on. My second goal was to participate
more. I do think I accomplished this goal. I paid more attention to the course books and participated
more in class discussions. My third goal was to spend more time learning the vocab before the quizzes.
Realistically, I do not think I reached this goal. I mainly studied for the vocab in my study hall before
the quiz. I do think all of my goals were realistic though.
3. Set three new goals for English III. What will it take for you to accomplish the new goals? Please be
specific. (Remember, when talking about goals, don’t set ambiguous goals that cannot be assessed—
instead, set goals where progress can be measured.)
I am not sure exactly what we have to do in English III next year so my goals will be a little
broader then this years. I know that my first goal is to work on my writing and bring up my skill level
in that subject. This is a subject that I struggle a lot in and hope to get better. My second goal is to
expand my vocabulary and use it to greater extent then just learning it for a quiz. I would like to start
using it. My third goal is to become a better public speaker and become more comfortable with it. I am
not sure if we do a lot of that next year but it is a goal for me anyway.
4. Of all the texts we’ve read this semester (Othello, Maus, Persepolis, Life of Pi, Mountains Beyond
Mountains) which was your favorite? Why? Which was your least favorite? Why?
I think that Maus was my favorite book we have read this year. I love history so this tied my
favorite class to a subject that I don't enjoy as much, which made it more enjoyable. I also enjoyed it the
most because it was a graphic novel and I tend to be more of a visual learner. My least favorite book
was Persepolis. I had not learned as much about the Iranian Revolution and it seemed to not have as
much impact on me because I could not relate. It was about an interesting subject though, and once
again I enjoyed the fact that it was a graphic novel.
5. Answer five questions from the Mountains Beyond Mountains Discussion Questions handout.
(See below)
6. Discuss your experience completing the This I Believe Project or the Human Rights Film Project. Was it
meaningful? Was it enjoyable? Did you learn something new? Explain.
I chose to do the Human Rights Film Project. I did this project instead of the This I Believe
because I didn't believe I had a subject that I believed strongly enough in to write about in those
circumstances. At some point, I wish I had done this because I feel like it would have been a great way
to find out what I really believed in and what I was about. I really enjoyed the Human Rights Film
Project though. It was a great way to learn more about what is going on in other countries, instead of
just ours. Gracie and I chose to watch Blood Diamond and along with it being such a good movie, it
also taught us a lot about the human rights of the people which I think everyone should know about.
7.
Look at your Year-End Reading Record; how many books did you read over the course of
the 2010-2011 Academic Year? How many total pages did you read? Are you satisfied
with your totals? Why or why not? Explain.
I read a total of nine books this year. When I see that at first, I am not satisfied but I know that
most of them were the long Harry Potter books. We also had a lot of class reading to do at the same
time. I did read a total of 4,128 pages, which include my abandoned or still not completed books. I am
satisfied with that number. I know I could have read more though, I just began to get lazy as the year
went on.
8. If you should have any other questions, comments or concerns, feel free to discuss them here; any
constructive criticism or, more importantly, laudatory remarks are welcome. 
English II
Mountains Beyond Mountains
Discussion Questions
Directions: Answer five of the following twenty questions to complete # 5
1. What do you think the book achieves? For you personally? For society? Do you think that Paul Farmer inspires others
to work for the common good? How can global citizenship and civic engagement be empowered on Louisville
Collegiate’s campus?
2. How is Farmer’s medical work related to his sense of self and sense of community? What did you learn about his
medical convictions and for the people living in poverty? About faith and medicine? What shaped Farmer’s values and
world view?
3. What is Paul Farmer’s view of public policy and health issues? What does he advocate in Haiti, Peru, and Russia where
health care is expensive and not accessible to most? What do you think of his ideas? Do you think they are applicable to
the United States? How important are utilitarian principles (greatest good for the greatest number of people) to public
health?
4. What does Farmer mean to you when he says, “To understand Russia, to understand Cuba, the Dominican Republic,
Boston, identity politics, Sri Lanka, and Life Savers, you have to be on top of this hill?”
5. Do you think that Paul Farmer’s childhood and family had an influence over the choice he made professionally, or
about his way of seeing life in general? What about the factors that influenced your choices in life, your goals, your world
view?
6. One of Farmer’s patients describes him as a saint and Kidder suggests that the Zanmi Lasante clinic in Haiti is a
miracle. Farmer speaks openly of spirituality and religious belief. What role do you think faith plays in his life and in the
projects to which he is connected?
7. Paul Farmer is able to connect with people with very diverse socioeconomic and intellectual backgrounds. He moves
people who meet him to look beyond their personal interests and commit to the betterment of the world. Although "lives
of service depend on lives of support," what personal and familial sacrifices does this require? Would you feel differently
if Farmer were a woman?
8. What do you think of his Farmer’s convergence of his political, medical, and social
public positions as a doctor? Do you share his attitude? Do you think this blending is effective?
9. How do you think Tracy Kidder is affected by Farmer? Why does he portray his own feelings towards Farmer? Is
Kidder’s use of direct quotes to reveal Farmer's character and his own effective?
10. What does the Haitian proverb “beyond mountains there are mountains” mean in your life?
11. Discuss the implications for “a minor error in one setting of power and privilege could have an enormous impact on
the poor in another” (78) by exploring the impact of the eradication of the Creole pig and the building of the Peligre dam
had on Haiti.
12. The sister of a pregnant Haitian woman with malaria stated, “You can’t even get a blood transfusion if you’re
poor…we’re all human beings” (80). What does that statement mean to you?
13. What does Farmer’s philosophy of “the only real nation is humanity” mean to you?
14. Farmer says, “Clean water and health care and schools and food and tin roofs and cement floors, all of these things
should constitute a set of basics that people must have as birthrights (91). Do you agree?
Yes I agree with this statement completely. All of these basic needs listed above are the necessity of generations.
Everyone needs water, food, and shelter to even live. Health care and schools are a lot harder for some people to achieve.
These take more money and more effort. I think some just give up even if there is a possibility. Schools are necessary to
our future; to get educated on the world and what is happening/happened. This way we can have a smarter generation
and fix the problems in this world. At some point in ones life, no matter if you are rich or poor, you will need health care.
The difference in this being the rich can afford it and the poor can’t; even if they deserve it. All people good or bad,
deserve these basic needs.
15. Do you agree with Margaret Mead's statement, “never underestimate the ability of a small group of committed
individuals to change the world”?
I believe that anyone can make a difference. So yes, I agree with this statement. Already many small groups have
changed the world. They start small and grow bigger and bigger. When people want to start something to help, I think
they have no idea what to do or they don't believe they are changing anything, but the littlest things they do change
everything. Even just getting a small group to sign up for a program like Read to Feed with Heifer International can have
a huge impact on a family. I agree that you can’t underestimate them. You don't know the power they have to the lengths
they will go to, to help someone out.
16. How is Haiti "covered with the fingerprints…of France and the United States?" (73) In what ways are wealthy
countries responsible for the poverty of other countries?
17. Farmer believes we should give more of the world's wealth to the poor: the O for the P (the central imperative of
liberation theology). Do you agree with the idea that we should have a preferential option for the poor?
Like question number 14 above, I believe that all people, including the poor, have the right to their basic needs. I
also believe the poor deserve a chance in life; a chance to do something greater then living in poverty. I believe that most
of the poor people do not deserve to be there and had no intentions of ending up like that, so yes I agree with preferential
option for the poor. I don't think it’s fair any other way.
18. How do MDRTB and AIDS threaten the health of the world? What role does Farmer take in trying to make countries
more involved with the treatment of patients, prisoners and poor people?
AIDS and MDRTB are two huge threats to our society today. These diseases kill to many innocent people and
infect others. They threaten the world because there is no cure. We don't have a way to stop the disease or help the people
that have it. That is why it threatens our world. They can just keep spreading and make the death toll even higher. Farmer
becomes a leader in these communities. He tries to help come up with ideas to prevent ways of AIDS and MDRTB by
separating those who are infected and those who aren’t.
19. Consider issues of social justice that are closer to home: Would Farmer’s efforts be more appropriately directed to
public health projects in poor communities in the United States? Engage in a discussion of basic rights (political, civic,
social, human) and distribution of public health resources (nutrition, transportation, housing, pest control, sanitation,
medicine).
20. Look up the website for Partners in Health (www.pih.org). What gets your attention? Would you consider making a
donation? Why or why not. Thoroughly explain your answer.
I think this website is set up really well. It looks very professional and organized. The videos and real stories they
have on the home page catch my attention the most. People feel more emotionally attached when they hear real stories of
how an organization helped them. I don’t think I would consider making a donation just after seeing the website. Like I
said before with Heifer, I felt more attached and understood exactly what their mission was. I went to their site and
Global Village so I feel more comfortable giving money to them. It would take more effort then just reading a website for
me to donate money to them.