Student 19

Object 1: The English Dictionary

The reason I chose this object is that it is what helped me learn the English language when I first moved to America. The dictionary is a book that gives the meaning of a word as well as how to pronounce it, use it, and its origin. The dictionary is known as one of the most reliable sources to look for the definition of a word since it is used worldwide and is approved by people who study the language. People have been using dictionaries since the time they were invented. The main reason for this is so when people communicate, there is no confusion about the meaning of the sentence.

This represents knowledge since there is a set definition for every word in the dictionary, meaning that someone's belief or opinion will not change the way a word is used. As new words are discovered, they are put into the dictionary for everyone else in the world to use. The dictionary will never change a definition of a word, thus making it a fact and concrete information.

Opinions and beliefs easily change with the acquisition of new knowledge. However, these opinions and beliefs are not present within dictionaries because dictionaries contain definitions with no bias. This shows that knowledge is different from belief and opinion as knowledge is something that is set and usually unalterable. In a tree, knowledge is the root while opinion is the branch; which shows that knowledge is the base of all ideas and opinions. Belief would not be on that tree because it is blindly following without any type of knowledge.

Object 2: Quran

The reason the Quran was included in this exhibition is that it is one of the main religious texts all around the world. The Quran is the sacred book of Islam and is believed to be the word of God. It is also one of the oldest pieces of text written and it is believed to be altered multiple times to make it easier to understand. Muslims have been reading this book and doing everything it says in it to please their god, Allah. This leads people to blindly follow what they believe in rather than having definite proof. This is the main difference between belief and knowledge: Belief is not tied to one thing as there will, in most cases, never be proof of it.

This represents belief since the Quran is followed blindly without any solid proof. Belief is strictly trust and faith, which is the complete opposite of knowledge since knowledge can be proven and doesn’t need faith. The older Muslims get, the more rules they follow as stated in the Quran. Even though one might not have the ability or control to follow these rules, they should try their hardest and believe in Allah to help them out. That’s what makes belief so powerful, even though there is no proof of anything, believing gives people that last push they need to finish a task.

Belief differs from both knowledge and opinion because belief contains neither of the other subjects stated. Belief doesn’t contain opinion because a person can’t judge or have opinions on their religion. If they did, then they wouldn’t be blindly following, but rather thinking about what they are doing, which would ruin the whole point of believing in a higher power.

Object 3: History IA

The reason I chose my history IA was because of the topic that I wrote it on, which was the Armenian Genocide. The Armenian Genocide was the systematic killing and deportation of Armenians by the Turks of the Ottoman Empire. It is the most influential event that has happened in Turkey and Armenia's history because it still affects many aspects of both countries including politically, economically, and socially.

This represents opinion since Turkey says that they killed the Armenians to protect the country, while Armenians say that Turkey killed Armenians because Turkey was jealous. These perspectives are clearly dependent on opinion. There is some information about the event, but not enough to fully be able to favor one side over the other. That is why after looking at the given information, it is up to every single country to look at everything they were given and make a choice on which country they want to support.

Opinion differs from both knowledge and belief since it combines both ideas. To make an opinion, a person should have a small understanding of the event as well as have a belief in whatever they pick is right. While knowledge and beliefs can be more reliable, opinions tend to be unreliable since a person doesn’t have to be right or wrong to have an opinion. Opinions are dependent on perspective and will always be an opinion no matter what, while knowledge and beliefs can be changed as more information is found along the way.