EDENWOOD M.S.

A Good Global Citizen

Is
By: Maryam S
801
10/30/2014

Name: Maryam S
Class: 801

A Good Global Citizen is

Text to Self:
1. In your opinion, are you a good global citizen? Support your
response. (Page 3)
Yes, I believe I am a good global citizen because I am part of many
organizations that strive to improve the world by caring for the global
environment/society (community) and quality of life globally. These
organizations have various rights and responsibilities as well as relate
to others within their family, friendships, groups, community and
country. Since I am part of these organizations, I happily volunteer by
giving time, help and ideas freely. Also the organizations that I have
joined, take part in numerous community events. One of the major
organizations I am part of, is called Me to We which transforms
people into world changers, one action and experience at a time.
Their major goal is to aim to make a difference in peoples lives
globally, especially children. Just recently Me to We started its
annual we scare hunger initiative which is a campaign that
encourages people to donate non-perishable food items that directly
goes to the Eden food bank to help the thousands of people to find
easy access to food items. I took part in this significant campaign by
spreading the word on social media via twitter and collecting food
items, as well as sorting them into specific categories. This is just one
of the responsibilities I am fulfilling each and every day as being a
global citizen. As being a global citizen I use my rights and
responsibilities to change the world in some good way that can affect
others positively.
2. What personal connection do you make to this list? How does that
connection help you visualize a good global citizen? (Page 3)

A personal connection I can make to the list is the one where it says
volunteering by giving time, help and ideas freely because one time
I volunteered my time for an annual family day walk by going around
my neighborhood and collecting donations that went directly to an
orphanage in Africa. This connection helps me visualize a good
global citizen because they affect the world in some way that adds up
to being a lot. Its kind of like a chain reaction of one good action
taking effect on other good actions.
Text to Text:
3. When you look at this photo of dead fish, you might make a
connection to other photos you have seen. What prediction about this
text do you make based on that connection? (Page 4)
A connection that I can make to another photo I have seen of is the
oil spill that happened in the Gulf of Mexico. One of the pictures I saw
was a duck covered in oil. This relates to the photo of the dead fish
because it shows how these animals are living in poor global
environments. A prediction I can make is that some animals are
surviving in poor global environments that arent protected too well or
even sustained properly. This is because not all people are putting
forth their best effort and part in building a healthy global environment
for all.
4. How does the information on human rights connect with what you
already know about how some people around the world struggle for
basic human rights? How does that connection help you evaluate this
authors point of view? (Page 4)
A connection to some things that I know about how some people
around the world struggle for basic human rights are by taking a
stand for democracy and the right to vote or taking a stand for the
rights to education, freedom of speech, health, shelter, food and all

the other basic rights that everyone should be appointed to. Some
people take to huge protests for these fundamental rights. Another
common example is how some women across the world, especially in
developing countries get limited rights or no rights at all compared to
men who get more of the basic rights as some countries believe men
are stronger in certain aspects while today we can see most women
are empowering this nation. In addition in some countries around the
globe, many people face racism according to their skin colour which
can limit their rights unlike others. All citizens of the world should get
equal rights that they deserve. This relates to the text because in the
text it says global citizens try to understand what human rights are
so that they can protect them and in the world many global citizens
promote basic human rights in various countries that lack these. The
authors viewpoint is from the people since its their experiences that
bring the pieces together about human rights.
5. What connections help you understand this section on global trade?
What do you already know about World War II and the topic of global
trade? (Page 7)
A connection that helps me understand this section on global trade
would be when visiting the grocery store as my family is able to buy
various fruits like bananas from South America or coffee beans from
Brazil. This is an example of produce coming globally from another
country. Another connection I can make is when my family and I went
to a car dealership, and we got to choose between a Japanese,
German or an American car. This relates to the text because global
trade is the exchange of goods and services between countries as
this type of trade allows expanding markets for both goods and
services, which may have not been available to us. This helps me
understand by giving me an idea on how prices, supply and demand
can affect a global environment and society based on budget. For
example, increasing manufacturing costs can result in an increase for
the consumer or a slow market. Some key ideas that I know about
World War II are that during the war advanced technology grew at a

faster pace like various modes of transportation (jets, submarines,

tanks) and defensive weapons that could allow easy travelling to and
from places. This is because they developed innovative technology.
This emerging technology started to influence global trade which
would rebuild a stable economy due to the downfall from the war.
6. When you look at this photo, you might make a connection to what
you know about child labour. What conclusion about free trade do
you draw after making this connection? (Page 7)
A connection that I can make to the picture of the Afghani boy
working in a tailor shop for less than a dollar a day is when I see in
the news various pictures and stories of child labour in developing
countries. One particular example I can relate to would be when I was
reading through the newspaper and saw an article on child labour in
India. The picture underneath the article was an Indian boy working at
a local grocery store, by sweeping and cleaning the shelves. This
nine year old boy earned $0.40 a day for working about 10 hours
every day except Sundays. Right now the child should be in school
not working. In the article it told how the boy was the oldest of his 3
other siblings and how his father died about a year ago from some
type of lung disease as the air quality where they lived was poor. Now
his mom is forced to work for the wellbeing of her children instead of
raising them properly. The boys mother works as a tailor for making
clothes at home. This relates to the text because they are both about
child labour and how children are forced to work due to the conditions
and complication of their family living. This mostly occurs where a
country is developing and is not too stable in economy. This relates to
the text because both child labours earned less than a dollar a day
and work about the same hours. Also they both are child labours to
support their family needs. Some conclusions I can make about free
trade is that it is good in an aspect because if two countries are doing
global trade with tariffs and restrictions, then one of the two countries
have to pay a tariff based on the amount which is kind of like a tax.
Like every tax, tariffs will increases the price of the product.

Therefore, consumers in one country will have to pay more of the

price than in the other country which is unfair. Another example is
one of the countries can impose a restriction on the amount which
can create low supply that can increase the price. Overall free trade
is a good choice for the economy because both countries have their
own advantages in producing products so it will be cheaper for both
countries by eliminating the tariffs. In the end everybody is a winner,
both producers and consumers. Consumers get cheaper products,
producers have access to bigger markets and produce more, making
higher profits.
Reflecting:
7. What issue (for example human rights, sustainable living, global
trade, or free trade) in this selection did you make the strongest
connection to? Why?
The issue in this selection that I made the strongest connection to
was human rights because I have heard many view points,
conversations, controversy and news reports about it, as it is one of
the worlds major global issues that still havent been resolved. I
made the strongest connection to this topic because it has many
stories that link together creating one conclusion. That is which many
people around the globe dont receive all the basic human rights
which are fundamental to a healthy community between people.
There are many different stories about the problems people are still
facing today, that tie with human rights. The overall big picture is
humans are suffering globally from the refusal of human rights. My
connections included many different aspects of why some people
dont have the same basic human rights like racism and much more.
8. Different readers rely more heavily on some types of connections to
help them understand a specific text. Which types of connections
were most helpful to you while reading this article? Why?

Text to self-connections, were most helpful to me while reading this

article because I related a lot to my personal experiences and it
helped me determine the similarities and differences from one
connection to another. Since these were my personal connections, I
knew more about the correspondence from the text and connection.
This helped me better understand the text as it made me easily
determine the authors point of view, visualize and make predictions
based on my own connections.
9. Of all the issues in this selection, which one have you heard about
most often in the news? What sort of viewpoint is most often
connected with that issue?
Human rights is the issue that I have heard about most often in the
news because there are so many stories regarding human rights and
there are some people who get no basic human rights which is most
often in developing countries. But the major reason it is most often
heard in the news is because numerous countries dont allow the
basic human rights that every person on this planet should have. This
has caused a number of rising problems including racism and
discrimination as some black people dont have the important human
rights, just because of their skin colour which causes injustice to
these people. Most developing countries are like this because they
have no maintained or efficient government system in which they
could run the country successfully. Many people that dont have the
most important human rights are suffering the way they live as they
are subjected to limited freedom which is why individuals want to get
out there and let the world know of what they are going through. The
viewpoint that is most often connected with this issue is from the
individual itself. They are the ones that express their feelings,
thoughts, and experience of having no human rights and what they
are going through. When people share their stories on social media,
other people get aware of some of the global issues that are affecting
others.