The Prince

The Prince was a very peculiar piece of literature. I enjoyed reading it because it was very powerful. I see why Machiavelli is looked at as such a leader. He literally breaks down every aspect of power and maintaining power during trying times in a land. I took this as a very equipped tool to use for being a leader in today's society in every aspect. It taught me that I can face challenges and overcome them based off understanding from preserving freedom to facing new groups of people and adapting to their way of life so that they can begin to hear me out of changes I want to see made to their norm. It is up to the leader ultimately to gear the people (followers and sometimes disciples) to a place where both parties are comfortable. On one hand the leader is comfortable in decisions and choices made and the followers and/or disciples are happy and feel protected knowing that they have a dependable leader. It is ironic that most times when people thinking of themselves as a leader, they only think of what they want out of it but never seeking to consider what they people they are leading will ultimately gain from their leadership. It is of importance that the person in leadership take themselves out of the equation and focus more on the overall value. So many questions arose as I read because I begin to think of things I could've done differently as a leader in the past that could've helped me today and this is one collection of excerpts I plan on never deleted or loosing.

Jhory Buskey

The Prince

After reading "The Prince", I found it to be interesting, not because it explains how to take control of other lands and how to control them,but because it gives advice that often disregards all moral and ethical rules. Macchiavelli states that:

 "Because how one ought to live is so far removed from how one lives that he who lets go of what is done for that which one ought to do sooner learns ruin than his own preservation: because a man who might want to make a show of goodness in all things necessarily comes to ruin among so many who are not good. Because of this it is necessary for a prince, wanting to maintain himself, to learn how to be able to be not good and to use this and not use it according to necessity."

 To me, this isn't the normal advice on how to take control of other lands and how to control them. This sort of advice wouldn't be used for mayors, senates, world leaders, etc. This is the type of advice that we, as ordinary people, can use everyday. It's something that we can live by. I think it also means that only we can control how we live out our own lives and to determine the path we will go on as the journey continues.

-Blair Thomas

Book of the City of Ladies

Book of the City of Ladies was an interesting read. In this story, the author, Christine de Pizan tells how women are being depicted from male philosphers. She's disturbed by what is being said about women as whole and she goes into thoughts of negativity. She is visited by three ladies, who are sisters, prophisize about her building a city for ladies. At first, Christine doesn't believe what she's hearing, but as the story goes on, her perspective starts to change. One of the sisters, Lady Reason, tells her the history of some famous women. She tells Christine about the Amazons and how they held entire civilization on their own, due to the fact that the entire race of men were killed. The only thing that they decided upon for the sake of their race was to mate with men of neighboring countries. Lady Reason also answers questions Christine has presented her with such as why men slander women. The more I read this story, the more I realized that not all women fall or "fit" into certain categories and/or stereotypes. In today's society, women are doing it for themselves. They are bread winners. They are the head of their household. They are politicians, world leaders, governors, mayor of a city. Hell! Women are everywhere and there is no escaping our species. Reading this literary work made me realize that we sometimes don't know or value our worth. We have strengths and weaknesses, but I think majority of the time we're just as strong as men.

Blair Thomas

Huarochiri Manuscript

The Huarochirí manuscript is a religious tradition of the Andes in an Andean language. It talks about an age when cannibal deities preyed on immortal humans. It unfolds the splendor of ceremonies that prehispanic priests devoted to a landscape alive with the diverse sacred beings called huacas. It talks about memories of Inca rule and of how unknown invaders brought new Gods to displace the children of Paria Caca and of Chaupi Ñamca. The manuscript is a complex composite testimony of these changes as well as a compendium of ancient memories.





Jade Cobb

Bartholome Las Casas

In his documentation of the Spanish conquest Bartholome Las Casas states that he believes that Africans are more "constitutionally fit" to be slaves than any other race. I believe that this contributed to establishing a hegemony were the rest of the world began to believe that Africans main reason to be alive was for slave labor. This then lead to the world not looking at Africans as human but property. It is just amazes me that opinions of very few people and their actions could influence so many nations and lead to the enslavement of a particular race of people for 100 years or more. It also sad to know that people like that and felt that they had the audacity over others.

-Amanda Johnson

Successful African Americans Woman in Todays Society

Often in todays society woman are depicted horribly at times and many of the views that people have for woman are incorrect, particularly when it comes to African American Woman. In movies African American women are seen as single mothers often work two jobs to support their kids all while nagging their "baby daddy" for child support who wants to have nothing to do with them. However what movies often fail to mention is that many African Woman are successful and make more money than men in some cases, and have a well put together family in a two parent household. A prime example of a successful black woman in Oprah Winfrey she happens to be one of the richest woman in the world, therefore disproving this notion that all African American Women are struggling. Another Woman who proves that African American Woman are successful happens to be our First Lady Michelle Obama, she is an educated woman who also runs a functional household while assisting to run a country.

-Amanda Johnson

The Huarochiri Manuscript

    I chose to write about the Huarochiri Manuscript because I related to chapter 23 of the manuscript. In this chapter the son of Paria Caca; Maca Uisa issues a summons from the Incas to the Huacas people. He ask for help in order to conquer the people of Marca, he felt since he had been there to supply the with gold, silver, llamas, and many other things they needed that they would at least offer some sort of assistance, that wasn't the case. When he issued his speech to them they all remained silent except for one, and that individuals response was he would fight against the others however he would have to kill Maca Uisa as well. I relate to this because this has happen to me several times with former friendships of mine. I had offered so much assistance to them as a friend should but when I needed that same support from them they were no where to be found.


-Amanda Johnson