Human Geographies Essay

Submitted By bstiner22
Words: 2201
Pages: 9
Open Document
Blair Stiner

Imaginative Geographies “The Pursuit of a Moral and Justifiable Reality”

While a certain written or verbal discourse can persuade a reader to form an emotional response in the favor of the discourser, the viewer or reader might want to look deeper into the subtext. One must take into account much more than is written on a page or spoken into a microphone. Looking at controversial situations from multiple angles and perspectives can lead one to gain a further understanding of an event or group of events, and avoid mental myopia. Oftentimes, one must dig back into the actual roots that set the stage for something. This process can bring an incredible sense of enlightenment and a whole new view of the world we live in today. The contrast of the two readings did just this for me, causing me to form contradictory outlooks due to content and depth of argument.
In regards to the speech by George W. Bush, I believe he does a great job justifying his actions as to why we need military involvement in the Middle East. He does so by defining Al Qaeda in a way where anyone with the slightest bit of patriotism or reason can assume that these people need to be wiped off the map. What he doesn’t do is describe how these political factions rose to power partly due to the political and capitalistic actions of the United States in the latter half of the 20th century. His rhetoric makes any logical American agree that terrorist groups in the Middle East are the Global Enemies, and our number one priority as a responsible world power is to take out this radical faction. His speech reads much easier than Mitchell’s comprehensive and extensive piece on the role of the United States in the Middle East past and present. Bush speaks of the disconnect between Islam and Al Qaeda several times, attempting to ensure Americans and others watching that not all of these individuals in Iraq are The Enemy. Despite this, the reader is still left with a feeling of anger and Bush’s speech did a fantastic job convincing me who our enemy was, and why they were our enemy. It gives me comfort and a feeling of appreciation for our military and this decision to invade Iraq. He instilled a sense of patriotism, and a sense of trust in the US government.
On the other hand, Mitchell’s speech makes me feel as though Bush’s decision to invade Iraq never would have occurred had we not been so money-hungry and devious in regards to oil in the Middle East. Once Aramco and our government found that we could make huge profits off Saudi Arabian oil, they did everything they could to shape the political and military landscape in the Middle East to ensure that they were making maximum profits. This snowballed into our indecisive alliances and unethical political behavior. We helped overthrow a relatively stable Iraqi government in 1963, and assisted in the killing of their leader, which brought to power the Ba’ath party, headed by Sadaam Hussein. Every conflict in the Middle East brought about US involvement, and we were always looking out for our enlightened self-interest, disregarding how we were affecting the stability of these countries. In contrast to Bush’s speech, Mitchell’s made me feel upset with my countries past decisions, and led me to believe that we were at the root of many of our current issues decades later. I was shocked to read much of what was put on the page in front of me, and felt ashamed of the fact that I have this image of America as a pure and noble country. In reality, our greed and intervention displayed in this article came back to haunt us years after their inception. Mitchell’s intensive breakdown of our activity in the Middle East really helps the reader get a grasp of how many of the issues in the Middle East arose in the first place. He explains in great detail the events that lead to vast changes in political landscape, and has very little bias in doing so.
Looking at the speech by George W. Bush, the political discourse
Show More

Related Documents: Human Geographies Essay

Essay Human Geography

relations. They find associations between elements of humans and biophysical domains, which is fitting, because geography come from the Greek words which mean earth describing. The need for geography has remained significant since the beginning of human kind, but the Greeks were the first to establish geography as logical body of knowledge. Ultimately, geography is a broad area of knowledge that seeks relations between spatial association and human movement thorough the use of maps. There is an old…

Words 848 - Pages 4

Definition: Human Geography Essay

human geography Examples noun 1. the study of the interaction between human beings and their environment in particular places and across spatial areas. Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2014. Cite This Source Examples from the web for human geography Expand Nothing in human geography is so sensitive, so interconnected as the urban fabric. The bulk of the paper centers around a topic which is of primary interest in many human geography courses--the…

Words 504 - Pages 3

Human Geography and the Holocaust Essay

Human Geography and the Holocaust: A Model of Medical Geography Morgan State University Felicia Grizzle SOCS 101 Abstract: Geography is best described as the field of science dedicated to the study of the lands, the features, the inhabitants, and the phenomena of the Earth. Medical Geography is the study of the geographic distribution of disease (including epidemics and pandemics), illness, death and health care. This study uses Medical Geography and Geography in general to make sense of the…

Words 979 - Pages 4

Ap Human Geography Research Paper

help children who do not know a lot about geography What is geography? Geography answers questions about the natural and human worlds, using different scales of enquiry of view them from different perspectives. It develops knowledge of places and environments throughout the world, an understanding of maps and range of investigative and problem solving skills both inside and outside the classroom. Geography plays an important part in today’s society. Geography is for life and living, it helps give better…

Words 460 - Pages 2

Human Geography Notes 1 Essay

Human Geography Notes 1 Place is about an identity where memory and sacredness intertwine. Place is ordinary but important Mundane is a privilege Can be controlled by the processes happening in the same area (refinery) Why is Aggieland a place? People develop here. They develop knowledge and opportunity here. It provides a sense of collective identity. There’s spoken and unspoken ways you can interact with here -> a culture. Values; integrity, honor, respect, leadership, service Kyle Field -> more…

Words 1305 - Pages 6

Human Geography Notes 8 Essay

Human Geography Notes 8 Pre-Industrial and Post-Industrial War High levels of economic production will lower birth rates How do populations change? Government policies Expansive population policies Anti-capatalists ideologies …. (etc. see above ^) What is the relationship between population and resources? What is migration and mobility? What factors contribute to migration and mobility? What is migration in the context of ….? What is the relationship between population and resources? Theories of…

Words 452 - Pages 2

Ap Human Geography Term Paper

Physical geography- the branch of geography dealing with natural features and processes. Physical landscape- physical elements of geophysically defined landforms such as (ice-capped) mountains, hills, water bodies such as rivers, lakes, ponds and the sea, living elements of land cover including indigenous vegetation, human elements including different forms of land use, buildings and structures. Human geography- the branch of geography dealing with how human activity affects or is influenced by…

Words 576 - Pages 3

AP Human Geography Essay

The population growth is biggest problem in old days and modern days. There are lots of people that are born every hour and die every hour on the earth and still the population growth is getting bigger. The population growth is increasing in the world at a fast pace. The BBC’S mike Gallagher say as the world population reaches seven billion people, they were asks whether efforts to control population have been as some critics claim, a form of authorization control over the world’s poorest citizens…

Words 381 - Pages 2

Ap Human Geography Research Paper

Geography is important in many different ways. First, by understanding the features of the Earth, such as climate, resources, and landforms, we can understand how our planet works and how our society has developed and will continue to develop throughout the years. Second, by addressing global challenges like climate change, we can determine the causes of them and develop more effective solutions. Third, learn about the different ways people adapt to their environment and how it shapes cultures and…

Words 176 - Pages 1

Essay about Human Geography

America has changed in so many ways since my ancestors immigrated, moved, to America and they all brought their own family traditions from Norway and Sweden that are still present in America to this day. There is always push and pull, positive and negative, factors in immigrating to a different country and the main push factor in my families move was because of famine and the main pull factor that brought them to America was the job opportunities and the start of a bright new future for the younger…

Words 2204 - Pages 9