Speak Essay

The novel, Speak, by Laurie Halse Anderson, describes the trauma that high school student Melinda Sordino faces after being raped at a summer party. During the incident, Melinda called the cops, causing everyone at the party to get in trouble and shun her. Melinda didn’t tell anyone her secret, as she was emotionally damaged and mortified, and she really began to crumble as more and more time passed with her having the secret bottled up. By comparing Melinda’s behaviors and emotions throughout the beginning/middle and end of the novel, it is seen that there is an improvement in the way Melinda feels and acts during the end of the book rather than the beginning because she let out her secret, and people gained their respect for her again. Overall, Speak illustrates how keeping in the wrong secrets can break a person, but setting them free can make a person. 

Towards the beginning/middle of the novel, Melinda is overwhelmed by her memories of being raped, and she develops an immense fear of Andy Evans, the senior who raped her. When the guidance counselors at Melinda’s school, and her parents, notice how Melinda isn’t doing well, they ask her if there is anything wrong, but Melinda shrugs them off, keeps the secret in, and continues to feel vulnerable and sad. As the secret stays put, Melinda’s self-esteem is deteriorating at a rapid pace. “I have no friends. I have nothing. I say nothing. I am nothing.” Here, we are shown just how terrible Melinda is feeling, and how low her self-esteem has dropped. Being raped has had an extreme, negative effect on Melinda’s stability, and not getting the help, love, or support that she needs has had its costs on Melinda, as seen in this line. But, this is because Melinda never tells anyone her secret in the first place, so she put the matters of controlling her thoughts and emotions into her own hands. Additionally, Melinda discusses how she thinks her family perceives her. “I bet they'd be divorced by now if I hadn't been born. I'm sure I was a huge disappointment. I'm not pretty or smart or athletic. I'm just like them- an ordinary drone dressed in secrets and lies. I can't believe we have to keep playacting till I graduate. It's a shame we just can't admit that we have failed at family living, sell the house, split up the money, and get on with our lives. Merry Christmas.” This quote portrays another example of how Melinda is trapped in her own maze of negative thoughts and feelings, and this has caused her to assume horrible things that were never told to her. Also, it’s interesting to see how Melinda believes that her family is “playacting”, and that this has badly impacted her family while Melinda is sort of playacting by pretending to other people that nothing is wrong when Melinda is being consumed by the fears and troubles she is facing from being raped. As I look at how Melinda trudges through depression during most of her school year, I feel terrible for her that she had to be faced with any of her bad experiences in the first place. The way Melinda feels in the beginning/middle of the novel demonstrates how keeping in her secret starts to break her.

On the contrary, the end of the novel showed a different Melinda, one who opens up, faces her fears, and stands up for herself. Now, Melinda begins to realize that the rape doesn’t have to encompass her thoughts, and she figures out just how important and relieving sharing her secret is. “When people don't express themselves, they die one piece at a time. You'd be shocked at how many adults are really dead inside—walking through their days with no idea who they are, just waiting for a heart attack or cancer or a Mack truck to come along and finish the job. It's the saddest thing I know.” Melinda is noticing how expressing yourself and speaking your emotions is vital to living a happier, healthier life. She is understanding how heartbreaking it is to know that people live their own lives feeling worthless. Furthermore, the novel shows an extreme breakthrough in Melinda’s life by describing a second incident with Andy. There was a time when he tried to rape Melinda again, but, instead of letting it all happen, she help a piece of glass to his throat and yelled, “I SAID NO!” at the top of her lungs to express that she would not tolerate being raped because it damaged her. Afterwards, an old friend of Melinda’s, named Nicole, rushed over with the rest of her lacrosse team to help and support Melinda. Speaking up for herself and getting her dark secret out there has benefitted Melinda in great ways, and it has shown her that it is necessary to help yourself, even if that means doing something that your fear, like sharing a big secret. 

The essence of the story is about secrets and how powerfully they can affect a person. Keeping a secret bottled up can really damage you while releasing it can lift a huge weight from you. The novel also deeply explores the issue of rape, which is an extremely sickly problem that hurts and emotionally scars people. Melinda’s encounters with the issue help the reader learn about the importance of not only letting out your secrets, but letting yourself be safe and to stand up for yourself. It is vital to live comfortably, and Speak emphasizes this. By looking at Melinda’s transformation, we can notice that letting the truth free is one of the best things that can happen to a person.

Martín Espada Essay

Martín Espada Essay

Throughout our world today, there are many issues that exist, especially those that have to do with other races, cultures, and people. Poet Martín Espada puts a spotlight on these injustices and writes about them in his poetry. Poems such as, “The New Bathroom Policy at English High School”, “Revolutionary Spanish Lesson,” and “Two Mexicanos Lynched in Santa Cruz, California, May 13, 1877,” show Espada’s understanding and opinions on the issue of bigotry. By analyzing these three poems written by Martín Espada, it is evident that Espada has a deep understanding of the issue of discrimination, and he can relate to what it feels like to be hated on or misunderstood because of race/ethnicity.

The poem, “The New Bathroom Policy at English High School,” is about a group of students chattering in Spanish in the boys bathroom as the principal of the school eavesdrops. Not knowing Spanish, the principal assumes they are gossiping because they said his name, and he bans speaking Spanish from the school. Espada has lines in the poem that show an example of his accurate understanding of the issue. For example, “The only word he recognizes/ is his own name/ and this constipates him/ So he decides/ to ban Spanish/ from the bathrooms/ Now he can relax.” These lines portray how many people who aren’t immigrants, or who don’t speak other languages besides English, react to people who are native and who practice other things. By elaborating on how the principal feels, Espada illustrates how other immigrants are being treated by Americans. Espada really magnifies the fact that many people jump to conclusions and aren’t respectful of other cultures by writing about how the principal put his own, selfish concerns before the concerns of the boys speaking Spanish. Additionally, the fact that the high school is called “English High School,” depicts how it is for English and how it may not be so accepting of other languages, such as Spanish. The quote analyzed above proves how “English High School” really was just for English. Having named the high school “English High School” is an example of Espada’s understanding of discrimination, and it shows how strongly he feels other ethnicities are treated disrespectfully. Espada’s representation of racism and inequality through his poem, “The New Bathroom Policy at English High School” renders his comprehension of the problem in general. 

“Revolutionary Spanish Lesson” is a poem that mostly talks about how he can relate to having people not fathom his language and culture. Espada’s name is Spanish, and Americans constantly can’t say his name correctly. This poem summarizes how Espada feels when his name is mispronounced. For instance, Espada claims that he wants to, “hijack a busload/ of Republican/ tourists/ from Wisconsin,/ force them to chant/ anti-American slogans/ in Spanish.” This line shows how Espada recognizes the anger and annoyance that people from different backgrounds feel when their name is mispronounced. By writing this poem, the reader can really see that Espada empathizes with other people who feel the same way as him. Another excerpt of the poem says, “Whenever my name/ is mispronounced,/ I want to buy a toy pistol.” Though this section is short, it portrays Espada’s anger and how he wants Americans to be aware of the different cultures and lifestyles that are becoming apart of their country. Overall, the poem “Revolutionary Spanish Lesson” really zooms in on how Espada understands the bigotry going on by being a victim of some of it.

“Two Mexicanos Lynched in Santa Cruz, California, May 13, 1877” is a much more serious poem that discusses an event in which two Mexican men were lynched in public. In this poem, Espada doesn’t really empathize the way he does in “Revolutionary Spanish Lesson,” because he has never been hung, but he writes about the event in an accurate way. “remain the/ faces of the lynching party:/ faded as pennies from 1877, a few stunned/ in the blur of execution,/ a high-collar boy smirking, some peering/ from the shade of bowler hats, but all/ crowding into the photo graph.” This quote expresses the different reactions people had, because of the lynching. Espada realizes that people will not have the same reactions to the event of the lynching, so he purposely explained how people were stunned, but people were laughing at the event. By doing this in his writing, Espada demonstrates a clear understanding of discrimination. Some people are the discriminators, and Espada knows this. “Two Mexicanos Lynched in Santa Cruz, California, May 13, 1877” includes lines that portray Espada’s understanding of inequality by showing how different characters react to a single situation.

After looking at all three of these poems, one can see that Espada definitely understands what racism is. “Two Mexicanos Lynched in Santa Cruz, California, May 13, 1877” and “The New Bathroom Policy at English High School” are poems that allow Espada’s comprehension of bigotry to shine through. Espada is truthful in these poems, and he portrays forms of discrimination in his poetry that are real. The poem, “Revolutionary Spanish Lesson,” however, exhibits Espada’s identification with people who do not come from the same places as him. When the Americans keep pronouncing his name wrong, Espada is infuriated, and he knows that other people with foreign names feel the same way, as Americans don’t understand these languages and cultures well. Not only does “Revolutionary Spanish Lesson” show that Espada understand what it’s like to feel persecuted, but it shows that he can really understand the feeling that Spanish people feel, because he is of Spanish or Latino descent. Overall, all of the three poems exhibit Espada’s understanding and connection to discrimination and racism. 

Gaokao: Fair or Unfair

Essay on Upfront Issued 3/20/15

In most schools around the world, students are required to take tests, whether it be for a subject in school or for admissions to a different school. In China, millions of students are required to take an exam, called the gaokao, which determines whether or not a high school student can advance to college. The article, “China’s Cram Schools,” found in The New York Times Upfront Magazine issued on March 30, 2015, and written by Brook Larmer, refers to this exam as the “do-or-die” college exam, and I completely agree with this quote. A large portion of their future depends on this exam, and this puts an immense amount of pressure on teenagers in China. By looking at what Larmer has to say in his article “China’s Cram Schools,” I believe it to be unfair that one exam can determine the future of a Chinese high-schooler.

Firstly, the amount of pressure put on the kids is horrific, and teenage suicide rates rise as the gaokao nears. The fact that an exam can cause teenagers to kill themselves is sickening, and it shows how the gaokao really affects ones mental health in a negative way. Additionally, the stress that the gaokao exam makes teenagers feel causes them to go to extreme measures in order to study. In “China’s Cram Schools,” Larmer discusses about a picture that was posted online two years ago. In it is a classroom full of Chinese teenagers who are hooked up to intravenous drips in order to give themselves the strength to keep studying. Not only is this fact shocking, it’s detrimental. Studying for a test should not be the reason teens are using intravenous drips to keep themselves stable. The burden placed amongst Chinese teenagers is insane, and because of this, students may not perform as well on the test as they could’ve. Taking this test doesn’t even accurately measure who the teenager is as a student, learner, and person because of all the pressure that is clouding their mind.

Furthermore, every teenager in China has different living situations, so students are either at advantages or disadvantages. Teens living in rural areas have a serious dilemma. These villages lack well trained teachers and exceptional schools, while the upper class families are guaranteed to have private tutors, take test-prep courses, or send their children abroad to private international schools in China. Plus, college-admissions spots are usually granted to upper class families rather than rural students. The fact that other teens have a gigantic advantage over others is unfair, and this illustrates how one test is as unjust way of determining a students future. Instead, Chinese universities should know how each teen learns and acts before admitting them, instead of just throwing a test on them. 

Taking the gaokao exam of admissions is very unfair for Chinese students who want to get into a university and have a stable job. The amount of pressure put on these teens is absurd, and mental health levels dramatically drop as a result of the abhorrent amount of stress these poor students feel because of one exam. Also, the exam does not accurately measure who is cut for what school. People have different living conditions, therefore some teens are able to afford the best private tutors, while others are stuck in crummy schools with uneducated teachers. By looking at these dreadful aspects of the gaokao, it seems as if China may be setting up their students for failure, that’s what it sure seems like! Students will feel so concerned to do well during the exam, or all their years of cramming in the material for this test will go to waste, and so will all the money spent on tutors and extra schooling. So, the families as a whole are not only being robbed of their money and time, but their kid will not go to a university and will have an unacceptable job for the majority of their life. To conclude, it is extremely unfair that so much is riding on a single test for the students in China. 

Scarlet Letter Essay (bookclub book #1)

Evy Rahmey 802                        2/10/15

ELA The Scarlet Letter Essay

The book The Scarlet Letter, by Nathaniel Hawthrone, is about a woman, named Hester, who has committed adultery. Because of this, she is forced to wear a scarlet “A” on her chest to show the world that she has sinned. Many people are hostile towards Hester because their first view of her is that she has committed such an atrocious crime. Plus, people are very ornery towards Pearl because she is the child Hester had with the man she committed adultery with. But, although Hester is forced to wear the scarlet “A” to show that she has done an abhorrent thing, she decides to change its meaning, to something that she would rather refer to herself as, through her selfless, compassionate, and caring actions towards herself and others. Throughout The Scarlet Letter, the Puritan society in which Hester lives gives the scarlet “A” a negative meaning, but Hester decides to transform it into something that she would rather be identified as. 

The society that Hester lives in defines her scarlet “A” as a detail that shows that she committed adultery. Hester’s town despises her and gives the scarlet “A” a worse and worse meaning than it was first given. For example, there is a scene where Hester, Pearl and governor Dimmesdale are in the forest, and Pearl says, “‘Mother,’ said little Pearl, ‘the sunshine does not love you. It runs away and hides itself, because it is afraid of something on your bosom. Now, see! There it is, playing, a good way off. Stand you here, and let me run and catch it. I am but a child. It will not flee from me; for I wear nothing on my bosom yet!’” This quote portrays how disturbing adultery is to the Puritan society. The narrator phrased this quote as if the entire world, including nature, is so horrified about what Hester has done, and they don’t want to be associated with someone who has done such a thing. Additionally, during Hester’s confrontation, a town member says, “‘This woman has brought shame upon us all, and ought to die. Is there not law for it? Truly there is, both in the Scripture and the statute-book. Then let the magistrates, who have made it of no effect, thank themselves if their own wives and daughters go astray!’” By looking at how this town member describes Hester, it is evident that Hester’s town perceives the the scarlet “A” as something to be ashamed of. In both quotes, the idea of people not wanting to be around Hester keeps coming up, from the sun never gleaming on Hester to her town members having a desire to kill her. The way that the town reacts to her shows that they recognize the scarlet “A” as a detrimental aspect of life. 

However, Hester gives the scarlet “A” a different meaning. Instead of viewing the scarlet “A” as the most horrid thing ever, Hester sees her scarlet “A” as a reminder of her past decisions and actions, and that she can improve herself as time goes on. “But Hester Prynne, with a mind of native courage and activity, and for so long a period not merely estranged, but outlawed, from society, had habituated herself to such latitude of speculation as was altogether foreign to the clergyman. She had wandered, without rule or guidance, in a moral wilderness. . . . The scarlet letter was her passport into regions where other women dared not tread. Shame, Despair, Solitude! These had been her teachers,—stern and wild ones,—and they had made her strong, but taught her much amiss.” This quote depicts how the scarlet “A” teaches her that what happened in the past can set parts of the stage for the future. Wearing the scarlet “A” in public represents bravery, and later in the book, Hester’s actions show her bravery that the scarlet “A” gives her. Mostly, Hester defines the scarlet “A” as something that represents her past and enhances her future.

In The Scarlet Letter, both Hester and the society in which she lives define Hester’s scarlet “A” as something different. By looking at this example, we can see how things are very controversial and people take many different views on many different topics, as Hester and her Puritan society have contrasting views about the scarlet “A.” This example also shows how people have the ability to define things the way they want to, and that other peoples’ opinions don’t have to overpower them, unless they decide to be engulfed in other peoples’ opinions. Overall, The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthrone shows how one thing is viewed differently by Hester and her society. 

Argumentative Essay: Should Certain Books Be Banned?

       

          Dear Ms. Berner and the School Administration, 

Reading in general helps people with better vocabulary, comprehension skills, and speaking. Many different books can also emotionally impact a person's thoughts or opinions. So, should books that deal with hard to handle issues be banned because of how they may scare a person and make them have alarming thoughts? So far, in America, thousands of books have been banned in schools and libraries due to some “inappropriate” and “dark” content. However, I think otherwise because books that focus on more serious topics can be beneficial towards how people, especially teenagers, think, and they could get knowledgeable information out of them. Overall, I disagree with the idea of banning books in general because everyone has different maturity levels, and more somber books can teach people about real world issues.

Firstly, more advanced and serious books can teach teenagers about very crucial and detrimental problems that are happening/happened in our world, and they could teach teens to not get involved in such complications. People can't be shielded from the different factors that affect their lives today, even if they are negative, and books are an easier way of addressing these problems to teenagers. The article “Should More YA Fiction Be Read In Schools?”, which was posted on www.theguardian.com, talks about how schools don’t incorporate books that deal with serious issues into their lessons at school, and that they are not seen on many bookshelves at schools. “These stories could be so beneficial to students, while at the same time potentially opening them up to a broader reading base and helping them discover something in themselves that they didn’t know before.” This quote demonstrates how many young adult books that deal with devastating troubles help teenagers learn about these dilemmas by showing them how they are being applied in their lives today, and how they were being applied in the past. This method of learning opens teenagers’ eyes to the world around them, and allow them to make many responsible decisions on their own so that they avoid such obstacles. 

Additionally, many YA books that contain adverse issues help teenagers because teens can relate to the characters that are facing similar problems to what they’re facing. The characters in the YA books help teens cope with their emotions, and even inspire them to help minimize the amount of issues going on in the world. In Maureen Johnson’s article, “Yes, Teen Fiction May Be Dark, But it Shows Teenagers That They Are Not Alone,” she talks about exactly what the title says; how teens aren’t alone, and how they rely on books to remind them of this. “If subjects like these are in YA books, it's to show that they are real, they have happened to others, and they can be survived. For teenagers, there is sometimes no message more critical than: you are not alone.” This quote explains the goodness in having something to relate to, even if it’s a character in a book. Many people don’t understand how important it is for teenagers to relate to someone who is going through exactly what they are going through, and Johnson’s article is telling people how a lot of teenagers need more things than people think to keep them emotionally stable and even jubilant. In Sherman Alexie’s article “Why the Best Kids Books are Written in Blood”, Alexie also explains how rather gloomy YA books can have an extremely positive impact on teens. “And there are millions of teens who read because they are sad and lonely and enraged. They read because they live in an often-terrible world. They read because they believe, despite the callow protestations of certain adults, that books-especially the dark and dangerous ones-will save them.” Here, Alexie demonstrates how books help kids escape from their own lives and look at someone else’s who is living a similar life to them. The fact that teens aren’t alone are enough to get them off their feet and do something about the problems out there. Furthermore, the way these YA books are written is so that they are realistic and true. The authors purposefully do this, so that teens know that authors are aware of these problems, and they show that the know by writing these inspiring books to help teenagers cope, and these books can even save the lives of teenagers because they’re so impacting.

Although these somber YA books do educate teens about these problems and how to control their own problems, they still contain very horrifying content that may startle many teens and put them in a state of shock. Meghan Gurdon talks about the disturbing content that many YA books accommodate in her article “Darkness to Visible”. “If books show us the world, teen fiction can be like a hall of fun-house mirrors, constantly reflecting back hideously distorted portrayals of what life is.” In this quote, Gurdon depicts what she thinks of many YA books based on the gruesome topics they encircle. Gurdon says that these books are showing problems to their extent, almost as if they’re being exaggerated to frighten the reader and make them almost too aware of what’s going on in our world. However, these serious books are written by authors that are not exaggerating problems, instead they are showing them for how they are. The positive ways that teenagers respond to these books show that Gurdon is wrong and that problems are shown how they are in the real world, even if they are hideous and hard to handle. In Ellen Hopkins’s article, “Banned Books Week 2010: An Anti Censorship Manifesto,” she describes how a high schooler responded to one of her books. “She saw herself in those pages, and suddenly knew she didn't want to be there. That book turned her around. Today she's been sober two years, is graduating high school and has embarked on a modeling career.” This is a great example of how a character in a book that deals with colossal issues in our world positively changes the way a person deals with their own life by impacting them to help themselves. The woman that Hopkins discussed said that she saw herself in the book, and that, by the writing of the book and the way the characters moved on, she realized that she needed to make a difference in her way of living. Reading these types of books helps people relate and see themselves and their problems for how they really are. These books shouldn’t be banned because then teenagers who need someone, even someone fictional, to relate to wouldn’t get that person, and the people who want to ban these books, such as Gurdon, are oblivious to how teenagers are positively reacting to these books.

Banning books in schools and libraries isn’t going to benefit the majority of the readers. Many teenagers are looking for a character in a book to relate to and someone that can help them with their own problems. Also, many teens just want knowledge about the problems at hand. People are able to choose what they want to read for a purpose, and the people who want, or need, to read more hard to handle books should have accessibility to those books. The people who don’t want to read a book like that don’t need to. Plus, Maureen Johnson’s article “Yes, Teen Fiction May Be Dark, But it Shows Teenagers That They Are Not Alone” says, “There isn't a YA writer alive who is out writing books to corrupt youth. No one writing about self-harm is teaching how to self-harm.”, and this statement is the truth. All of these YA books were written to inform people about exactly how bad many issues in our world are and were, and people are taking that the wrong way. It is important for all books to stay on the shelves of libraries and schools, no matter how revolting and terrifying, because who knows how positively teenagers will react when they see they aren’t alone and that they know they could help those in need.

Sincerely, 

Evy Rahmey

Bibliography

Alexie, Sherman. "Why the Best Kids Books Are Written in Blood." Wall Street Journal. N.p., 9 June 2011. Web. 25 Nov. 2014.   http://blogs.wsj.com/speakeasy/2011/06/09/why-the-best-kids-books-are-written-in-blood/?mod=google_news_blog

           

Gurdon, Meghan Cox. "Darkness Too Visible." The Wall Street Journal. Dow Jones & Company, 4 June 2011. Web. 25 Nov. 2014 http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702303657404576357622592697038?mg=reno64-wsj&url=http%3A%2F%2Fonline.wsj.com%2Farticle%2FSB10001424052702303657404576357622592697038.html                                          

Hopkins, Ellen. "Banned Books Week 2010: An Anti-Censorship Manifesto."The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 30 Sept. 2010. Web. 25 Nov. 2014.  http://www.huffingtonpost.com/ellen-hopkins/banned-books-anticensorship-manifesto_b_744219.html    

Johnson, Maureen. "Yes, Teen Fiction Can Be Dark - but It Shows Teenagers They Aren't Alone." The Guardian. N.p., 8 June 2011. Web. 25 Nov. 2014. http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2011/jun/08/teen-fiction-dark-young-adult

"Should More YA Fiction Be Read In Schools?" Www.theguardian.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Nov. 2014.

Social Justice Project

Tay Thi Nguyen and How Her Back Story is Very Unfair For Her

(Citation of the article: Kristof, Nicholas. "Graduate of the Year." The New York Times. The New York Times, 24 May 2014. Web. 30 Nov. 2014. <http://www.nytimes.com/2014/05/25/opinion/sunday/kristof-graduate-of-the-year.html?module=Search&mabReward=relbias%3Ar%2C%7B%221%22%3A%22RI%3A8%22%7D&_r=0>.)

Tay Thi Nguyen fought to get to middle school, battled her way to high school, conquered her way to college, and is on her journey to getting her masters degree. As a child living in the Mekong Deta, Nguyen had a poor childhood, and had a mother who was persistent that she drop out of school and become a house maid to raise some money. Nguyen’s mother burned her schoolbooks in the eighth grade, and burned them again when Nguyen was a senior in high school. Nguyen borrowed books from others and studied all day and night. She believed that a good education would help her in the future. When Nguyen took her entrance exam for college, her mother told her that she hoped she failed it. Nguyen did fantastic on it and spent all of her free time that wasn’t spent studying earning money for college. She needed everything she could get money wise. Nguyen worked at different stores all day and all night. Nguyen starved herself to save money for college; she spent only $3.50 per week! But, in the long run, college was a great decision for Nguyen and she is going to be an English teacher when she grows up and she will be earning the most money out of everyone in her family!

It is unjust that Nguyen’s parents, specifically her mother, are getting in the way of letting Nguyen have a good education and a better life. This is an example of injustice because Nguyen’s parents aren’t being fair with their daughter and are abusing her and her wants. Education is beneficial and Nguyen’s parents won’t accept that, which is frustrating for Nguyen. Her parents didn’t help her whatsoever; she paid for her own meals and didn’t eat at home! It’s not fair that having different opinions can affect the relationship between two people, and it’s especially unfair that Nguyen’s parents won’t actually listen to Nguyen’s opinions, and they are hating on what she is doing.

This article has made me think a lot about teenagers today. Many of them don’t have a passion to learn in the way that Nguyen does. We don’t encourage ourselves to keep studying all morning and all night, we don’t starve ourselves to pay for school. This shows that someone’s background has a big affect on their education and the way they perceive education. Because most teenagers in Brooklyn don’t have parents holding them back from getting the education they need, kids aren’t begging their parents to go to school, in fact, it’s almost the opposite. Going to school in New York City is a requirement, parents don’t have a say in if there children can miss out on an education because an education here is very important. Also, many of our parents are rather supportive. My mother encourages me to keep playing soccer and to keep doing art. She also encourages me to keep learning, to keep prospering. 

Observing my School/Neighborhood and Seeing What is Unfair

Things that may be unfair to peoples’ human rights that I see when observing my school are…

• People being ignored by their peers, causing them to feel like they aren’t acknowledged.
• More athletic kids hogging the ball in a game of basketball and the less athletic kids not getting a chance to touch the ball.
• People judging others by their external appearance.

Things that may be unfair to peoples’ human rights that I see when observing my neighborhood are…

• People with less money sitting on crates outside, in all types of weather, begging for money.
• Someone robbing another person of their belongings and running away.
• Children yelling rudely to their parents 
• Parents yelling harshly to their children

When I go to school each day, I see clumps of friends, both big and small. On the outskirts of some of those clumps are kids who are listening to the conversation their peers are having, but not being allowed to join it because there peers hardly know they’re there. Making anyone feel as if they are unwanted or unacknowledged in a mean way is unfair towards the person and is against my human rights. 

Every single person deserves to be noticed in a good way. Being ignored hurts people, though some may not show it. It is important to let everyone in a clump of people contribute their ideas to the conversation. Also, small gestures of saying “hi” and asking each person what they want to say, if they have anything to say. But ignoring is inhuman and rude. Every person is human and should be treated like one to. 

Interview with Eileen Rahmey

Me: What are some good things about our world today?

Eileen: Our world has really advanced from how it used to be. We have become a lot more accepting. Gay people are allowed to marry in many states in the U.S., women have so many more job opportunities than they used to, and they are getting paid much better amounts than they were a few decades ago. People with mental illnesses can get a lot more help because there are so many amazing doctors, therapists, and medications available to help them. Also, the technological advancements our world has made are unbelievable. I am able to call, text, and video chat with my cell phone, but when I was a kid all we had are wire phones that didn’t have text or video chat. In addition, the education systems have gotten a lot better and people are learning so much more!

Me: It’s really amazing how far we’ve come! But, not everything is perfect, just like our world isn’t perfect. So, on this note, what are some unfair things about our world today?

Eileen: My least favorite thing about this world is the terrorism. In many countries, there are wars because people are different from each other. I hate how people are thinking, “this person is not the same as me, therefore, I must kill this person.” It’s horrible to know that people can’t respect other people existing beside their own kind. Additionally, there is much disrespect when I go around Brooklyn. Many drivers don’t know what it means to slow down, and many bikers bike very close to where are the cars are driving. There have been multiple accidents in which people are either getting injured or loosing their lives because of the drivers who are not being considerate of the pedestrians. Also, people sometimes accidentally do something wrong to another person, causing an unnecessary, heated argument between the two people. An apology is the answer, not a fight. However, disrespect has been taken to much more inappropriate levels as well. People have posted personal pictures of others, such as Jennifer Lawrence, and invading their privacy. These criminals have abused social media and made a huge deal out of these pictures by focusing what’s on the outside and not about what’s on the inside. Plus, it’s just insulting to make private things public. 

Me: I certainly agree with your thoughts. Are there any more things you would like to share about our world today?

Eileen: I believe that we can keep improving our world. We can do so by being mindful of how we treat others. There is hope, and we can keep learning how to be more respectful of others. The way we act around others is the key to how our world will continue. The key to a peaceful world is peaceful people.

When interviewing Eileen Rahmey, who is my mother, I found her thoughts very interesting. Firstly, I think what she has to say about our world in general is very true. We have advanced and we continue to advance. Our technology is great and it will only get better. People who need help will get it. However, Eileen is very right about disrespect. Disrespect is a huge issue that we as people have faced since human nature has started to exist. I think that Eileen brings up a very genuine point when she says that peaceful, respectful, and nice people are what will allow our world to flourish. 

The things Eileen said that are unfair about our world mostly have to do with not being kind. If enough people are kind, then the percentage of bad and unfair things in our world will dramatically decrease, which will make our world not only a better place but a happier and more fair one too. Plus, being kind and nice towards others doesn’t mean you have to like them. Every single person dislikes at least one other person, and that’s just human nature! It’s the way we treat that person/people that will shape our world and how it continues to be. Overall, my mother, Eileen, brings up a very good point about our actions towards others, and I agree with what she has to say. I concur that the way we treat others is partially why our world is plummeting in some areas.

The Death in Ferguson and Responding to What Reporters Say About It

On August 9th, 2014, officer Darren Wilson shot and killed 18 year old African-American Michael Brown. Brown and his friend, Dorian Johnson, were walking in the middle of the street in Ferguson, Missouri, when Wilson forced Johnson and Brown off the street and onto the sidewalk. Brown and Johnson refused, as they were close to the destination, but Wilson wouldn’t out up with it, and he fought with Brown. Brown ran away from Wilson, but then ran back for an unknown reason. Then, Wilson shot Brown, killing him. Johnson is still alive.

There have been so many new broadcasts about the shooting at Ferguson. If I was officer Darren Wilson, and the broadcaster was talking about me, this is how I would respond:

(this is me pretending to me Darren Wilson, and I am talking for him in the first person)

After August 9th, 2014, people started riots and marches because I killed Brown. People hate me, and don’t get me wrong, I’m really sorry Brown died, and I’m guilty for it. The thing is, I didn’t feel safe around Brown, I thought something bad would happen to me. People were protesting because they thought I killed him because he was black. They think that if the other person was white then I wouldn’t have fired. I’m being accused of this, and all I can say is that I felt unsafe, I was scared. 

Recently, I resigned from being a police officer. I did this because I thought it would be best for me. I don’t want another person to be hurt from me, I don’t want to hurt anyone else. It was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done in my life. 

(This is now me talking, and it is not a first person account of Darren Wilson)

Being in the situation Wilson was in, and still is in, must be horrible. The fact that Michael Brown died in the first place is truly devastating, but also the guilt that Wilson feels is really a lot. Wilson is probably thinking about it everyday. The guilt and sadness Wilson is feeling must be unbelievable. If it weren’t for his death, none of the riots would’ve happened, and WIlson wouldn’t have to have resign from being a police officer. 

But, the situation Wilson is in also opens his eyes to a different world. Wilson is now feeling strong emotions he’s probably never felt before, or at least not with these circumstances. Killing someone, no matter who, usually makes the killer feel terrible and remorseful. Wilson now knows what it’s like to kill someone, and it’s heartbreaking for him. But he now feels the pain of other people who have accidentally killed other, innocent people. 

Wilson is feeling a lot of emotions, and the way people are responding to the shooting make it worse for him. Many people aren’t taking into consideration how Wilson feels. It’s definitely important to get the point across that killing Brown was unnecessary, but everyone makes mistakes, and some mistakes are much, much bigger than others. Wilson is getting so much hate, too much. Fighting is not the answer. I agree that is isn’t just that Wilson is getting no punishment because killing someone really crosses the line, but he’s human and he has feelings. Wilson is allowed to feel unsafe at times, he is allowed to feel sad. Killing isn’t the answer, and it especially wasn’t in this case but people don’t know Wilson’s whole story and they should listen to it. Being in Wilson’s situation is probably horrible and scary because some of the emotions he is feeling are probably haunting him and causing him to feel extremely uneasy. 

Interview with Izzy Shamah

Me: Izzy, I think that you change the world everyday for the better. What steps are you taking to make this world a much better place?

Izzy: At my school, there is a club called Students Opposing Starvations, S.O.S. Every week, we have a meeting and we talk about social issues, especially starvation, that are happening in our world today. We have fund raisers that allow us to get money and buy clothing and food that we give out to the homeless in New York City during midnight runs. Every Wednesday, we volunteer at a soup kitchen, and we give out food to the homeless that live in our town, which is Nyack, New York.

Me: That’s awesome! Going to New York City is really a long commute as well! How does it make you feel when you do fantastic deeds for your community and when you help the people around you?

Izzy: It makes me feel like a better person because I am solving smaller fractions of a larger issue, but fractions are still parts of the whole, and each fraction counts.

Me: I definitely agree. Is there any moment in particular that made you feel very good and shows how you contribute to our world?

Izzy: Once during a midnight run in New York City, a man came up to me and the rest of S.O.S and thanked us for giving out food and clothes and for being such great people by taking the time out of our days to help the less fortunate. In that moment, I realized that the people we are helping are very in need, and what we are doing is truly a good thing. It also made me feel that what we were doing really had an impact, even if it was a small one.

Me: I think it’s great that you’re involved with such a great club at your school!

When interviewing my cousin, Izzy Shamah, I realized that it doesn’t take much to help others and the world. Very small actions, such as recycling plastic and paper, can add up and have a giant impact on our world. Also, Izzy taught me that there are many people who may be less fortunate, but they have very big hearts, and they are so appreciative of the people that help them and treat them like people. Being part of the S.O.S, or any organization that helps people/the world, is such a good deed and really shapes a persons personality. Izzy is a very kind person who puts others before herself in many situations, and I think that her being part of the S.O.S has been part of what has molded her into such a good person. 

Additionally, hearing what Izzy has to say has shown me that even helping people in general, such as your parents or friends, still impacts the world and helps it. For instance, helping my mom with the dishes one night after I have finished my homework is a kind gesture because it gives my mom more times to work on her papers for her job, and it gives her time to relax. When Izzy gave the less fortunate some clothes and food, they got some time to just chill out and not panic about their meal for the night because its right their in front of them. 

Thirdly, I think that what Izzy does is proof that Eileen’s ideas are believable. Izzy said that helping others makes her feel good and makes others feel good. People are constantly thanking Izzy and the rest of S.O.S for their caring deeds and for thinking about them. Eileen believes in being considerate towards others, and that’s exactly what Izzy is doing.

“Pretty Hurts” by Beyoncé and how it Expresses a Significant Issue About Social Issues

Mama said, you're a pretty girl
What's in your head it doesn't matter
Brush your hair, fix your teeth
What you wear is all that matters

Just another stage
Pageant the pain away
This time I'm gonna take the crown
Without falling down, down

Pretty hurts
Shine the light on whatever's worse
Perfection is the disease of a nation
Pretty hurts
Shine the light on whatever's worse
Tryna fix something
But you can't fix what you can't see
It's the soul that needs the surgery

Blonder hair, flat chest
TV says bigger is better
South beach, sugar free
Vogue says
Thinner is better

Just another stage
Pageant the pain away
This time I'm gonna take the crown
Without falling down, down, down

Pretty hurts
Shine the light on whatever's worse
Perfection is the disease of a nation
Pretty hurts
Shine the light on whatever's worse
Tryna fix something
But you can't fix what you can't see
It's the soul that needs the surgery

Ain't no doctor or therapeutic that can take the pain away
The pain's inside
And nobody frees you from your body
It's the soul that needs surgery
It's my soul that needs surgery
Plastic smiles and denial can only take you so far
And you break when the paper signs you in the dark
You left a shattered mirror
And the shards of a beautiful girl

Pretty hurts
Shine the light on whatever's worse
Perfection is the disease of a nation
Pretty hurts
Shine the light on whatever's worse
Tryna fix something
But you can't fix what you can't see
It's the soul that needs the surgery

When you're alone all by yourself
And you're lying in your bed
Reflection stares right into you
Are you happy with yourself
It's just a way to masquerade
The illusion has been shed
Are you happy with yourself
Are you happy with yourself
Yes

The lyrics of “Pretty Hurts”, by Beyoncé, talk about how society tells women that their external appearance is everything, and that what society is telling women is ruining women’s lives, devastating them, and making them destroy themselves in order to conform to what society expects from them. The lines, “ Plastic smiles and denial can only take you so far. And you break when the paper signs you in the dark. You left a shattered mirror. And the shards of a beautiful girl.”, show how women are not only hurting themselves for the approval of society, but they are hiding their feelings and not doing anything about what they feel they need to live up to in order for people to think they are beautiful. 

Later in the song, Beyoncé discussed that, deep down, women are happy with the real them, but this is when no one is around to see them. “When you're alone all by yourself. And you're lying in your bed. Reflection stares right into you. Are you happy with yourself. It's just a way to masquerade. The illusion has been shed. Are you happy with yourself. Are you happy with yourself. Yes.” This stanza illustrates how women really hate society’s message about what they believe is true beauty, but at the same time, they live up to it because they really want to be beautiful, and many don’t know that true beauty is the personality of a person. Makeup is a masquerade, or disguise, for women that cover up their true beauty because society doesn’t believe in a person’s true, beautiful self. The illusion that Beyoncé talks about in her lyrics is what society makes women do to live up to their version of beauty. When the illusion is gone, that means a woman is herself, and she is not doing anything that makes her more beautiful in society’s eyes. 

The last line of the song, which is the word “yes”, actually determines what the song is about and how people react to it. If the “yes” was replaced with a “no”, then it would be much more upsetting because it would show that society has took over all chance of a woman loving her true self. The word “yes” shows just the opposite. It shows how women do love themselves for who they are, not for their masquerade made of makeup and their illusion full of society’s beliefs. If Beyoncé asked me if I would change that last word to “no”, “maybe” or leave it blank, I would say neither of those things. I think that the word “yes” shows that women are more than what society says we they are. Women are delighted to be themselves, but it’s society that tells them otherwise, and society says to women that there are requirements that they need to live up to. However, women would only need to live up to those standards if they cared what other people thought of them. Clearly, society is butting into a women’s chances of loving herself by destroying her vision of beauty. The lines “Perfection is the disease of a nation. Pretty hurts.”, portrays how society wants perfection and how even just being pretty hurts because of the abundance of things women need to live up to. Another stanza, which is, “Blonder hair, flat chest. TV says bigger is better South beach, sugar free. Vogue says. Thinner is better.”, talks about how reading magazines and watching TV depict women who do what society tells them, and that this makes other women feel bad about how TV and magazines are also giving this message because they are under society’s detrimental spell. 

Defining a women for her looks is not okay, and Beyoncé is telling us this through her lyrics of “Pretty Hurts”. A women who lives up to society’s standards of looking beautiful is in actual pain, both physical and mental, to a women. The things society tells a women to do to look beautiful really hurt. Instead of making a women listen to society, Beyoncé is telling us to let each woman be themselves, for every woman will learn to love themselves. The title “Pretty Hurts” is true and accurate to how society is telling a woman what beauty is to them. Being pretty wouldn’t actually hurt if society wasn’t involved in affecting how a woman presents herself. A woman’s real self isn’t just pretty, it’s beautiful, and it doesn’t hurt, either. 

“Awkward” and How Hollywood Portrays Each Character in the Movie

“Awkward”, which is a TV series aired by MTV, is about a teenager named Jenna Hamilton who lives a very rocky life coming in contact with all these awkward situations. Her life is very complicated as she had a secret relationship with Matty Mckibbin, who is a very popular and athletic guy in Jenna’s grade, and then a public relationship with Matty’s best friend, Jack Rosatti. Jenna relies on her best friends, Tamara and Ming, and her guidance counselor, Val,  to help her through her crisis’s and guide her towards a fresh start.

By watching “Awkward”, more specifically season 1 of “Awkward”, it is evident that Hollywood portrays the “perfect” female teenager as someone who is popular, pretty, fashionable, and has a good reputation. By looking at the way Jenna progresses through the season, we can see that she is not Hollywood’s dream girl because of how she always runs into bad situations with her enemy, Sadie Saxton, and how she puts herself into bad situations. Additionally, Jenna’s mother is always criticizing the way Jenna presents herself with her clothes and her hairstyles. She is constantly giving Jenna advice and offering her to go to the mall to get new clothes. Sadie’s best friend, Lissa Miller, however, meets Hollywood’s representation of the “perfect” female very closely. She has a genuinely good reputation as a nice person, she dresses very fashionably, she is a blond Christian, and many guys like her. The only standard that Lissa doesn’t meet is the smartness level the “perfect” Hollywood girl needs to meet. Lissa is rather dumb and catches onto things very slowly. Hollywood’s “perfect” male is similar to the female. He must be popular, buff, attractive, clean, and nice. The character Matty meets all of these standards, and this is why he privately dated Jenna, so that he wouldn’t ruin his reputation by being seen with someone who already doesn’t have a good reputation. The way Hollywood presents their “perfect” males and females are what they expect to be “normal” in the real world. Hollywood expects there to be a world of Matty’s and Jake’s flooding the U.S. They don’t want any Jenna’s, rather they want Lissa’s to be the population of the girls in the U.S. 

In addition, every single one of Hollywood’s dream characters is white, including people like Jenna who aren’t Hollywood’s dream characters. Hollywood expects there to be a world of white people, and that all cool kids and popular kids are white. The ones who aren’t as popular are still white, however. This shows how Hollywood isn’t very open to diversity. The most diverse they have gotten in season 1 of “Awkward” is by creating the character of Ming, who is Chinese, but the rest of the cast is white. Also, Awkward takes place in Palos Hills, California, so the characters are living in nice houses, surrounded by Palm Trees, and almost all characters have their own cars, and just a lot of money in general. The way Jenna’s mom pampers her, by re-doing her entire room and getting her a flat screen TV for her birthday, shows how much money each of the characters has. 

Each of the teenage characters on “Awkward” have a mother AND a father, but they don’t seem to have siblings. At no point does it show any of the main, teenage characters with a sibling(s). Hollywood’s perfect family makes it so that the child will be spoiled, and they will be the only one to be spoiled by both of their parents. 

The way “Awkward” portrays the characters are not accurate to people in the real world. It makes me feel sad that Hollywood doesn’t appreciate characters like Jenna and Tamara as much because they have amazing personalities, but they don’t get as treated as Lissa, even though Lissa is a very good person as well. Plus, there aren’t a bunch of Lissa’s in the world to begin with because every single person is different, and this is a fact Hollywood needs to accept. Every teenager has a different back story. I think that Hollywood does a fantastic job of showing this, but what makes it all terrible is the way they treat the character throughout the TV show. Lissa is constantly being rewarded for being Lissa while someone such as Tamara doesn’t get as many happy things in her life. Hollywood needs to respect that everyone is different and that our differences shouldn’t determine how people are treated. 

The way Hollywood presents their dream characters really makes me thinks about who meets their standards. The answer is no one. No one can be exactly who Hollywood wants them to be because Hollywood expects perfection, but not even Hollywood can get perfection. That’s why they love popular, beautiful girls like Lissa and attractive, athletic jocks like Matty and Jake, because they are as close to Hollywood perfection as possible. 

As “Awkward” keeps airing, they keep perpetuating the stereotypes. In season 2, Matty starts going out with a girl who looks like Lissa, but she is also smart. If anything, the stereotypes get worse because Hollywood keeps thinking of a more perfect person to use as someone everyone should be like. In season 4, a new girl, named Eva, moves to Palos Hills and joins Palos Hills High School. She is blond, extremely in style, nice, and she becomes popular. In the middle of the 4th season, she begins to date Matty, which shows how the stereotypes keep perpetuating. Hollywood even creates their dream couple, and they want a bunch of Eva and Matty’s to exist as well.

Reading Response #4 SHINE

Evy Rahmey 802   11/20/14

Reading Response #4 Shine

Some people live their lives with a frown on their face and the belief that everything is worthless. Other explore the world optimistically and make the best out of what they have. The book Shine, by Lauren Myracle is about a sixteen year old girl named Cat who lives in a small town of North Carolina called Black Creek. Her views on the world have dramatically shifted, and now she's just lost. Cat's former best friend, Patrick, who is gay, was just attacked by an unknown subject and strung to a gas nozzle because of his homosexuality. While unconscious at the gas station, Patrick was discovered and brought to the hospital, leaving all of Black Creek wondering who attacked him and what his physical and mental states are looking like. When Cat found out about the situation, she was determined to find out who ambushed Patrick, and she visits many people to find where they were during the attack. Throughout Shine, we get to know Cat as a curious, nervous, and lonely person who misses her past. We see how she takes on her life asking many questions. By getting to know Cat as a character, we see that people may not instantaneously know what they miss until they realized the impact it had on them.

In the eighth grade, Cat felt she had bad vibes around her all the time, so she stopped being friends with all of her friends, and she let her former happy go lucky personality go. Cat thought that isolating herself would help, but it didn't. However, three years later, it is evident that Cat longs to have her friends back and be that happy go lucky girl. For example, after finding out about Patricks attack, Cat realizes how much she misses spending time with Patrick and having picnics in their special hideout. “Today, all I saw was  an endless blue sky shimmering above the trees at the edge of Patrick’s yard. I pressed the back of my head against the house. My fingers found the grass, and at its roots, the cool soil. I would have been content to sit here for hours, but I needed to get up.” Here, it shows how much Cat misses Patrick and how she regrets parting form him. Additionally, this shows Cat misses her childhood in general because she used to go to Patrick’s house when she was little, and it was like a second home to her. She misses the days when she was happier and she spent time with Patrick, and she especially misses them now because of Patrick being close to death, and her wanting to go back to those careless days.

In the process of letting go her relationship with her friends, the way Cat interacts with her brother dramatically changes as well. Cat brother, Christian, protected Cat and told her what was right and what was wrong. For instance, three years ago, when Christian walked in on his friend, Tommy, sexually harassing Cat, he decided to destroy something that really mattered to Tommy. “Male voices washed over me: Tommy’s furious; Beef’s sympathetic, but not overly so; my brother’s just plain flat. Shaking, I stood and buttoned my shorts. I  moved silently to the edge of the window, where I crossed my arms tight and took it in. Pieces of chrome. A fender blown several feet away when the gas tank exploded. The rubber grip of the accelerator. The smoldering remains of the smokehouse blanketing the bones of Tommy’s BMW. ‘Told you not to park there,’ Christian said.” This quote shows that though Christian took a different approach at protecting her sister, he still destroyed the motorcycle because he wanted to protect her. Three years ago, their relationship was very strong and they were close siblings. Looking back on those days, Cat misses Beef and wants their close relationship back. “In the months to come, in the moments of loneliness so deep it hurt to breathe, I tried to put aside my fury and betrayal and humiliation and forgive him. That’s how much I missed him.” Then, when Cat and her friend, Jason, were going to find Beef, Christian came again to the rescue. Though they were not as close anymore, Christian still took a brotherly role by helping her sister, which he hadn’t done for a while because they hardly interacted. When Cat and Christian found Beef, who was really high, with Robert, Cat eleven year old friend, Cat climbed up to help Robert while Christian hid from view. After Cat saved Robert from Beef, Beef began shooting at them, but Christian put a stop to that. “Behind Beef, I saw Christian wrestling to get the gun. he was arguing with him, and his voice seemed to alternate from loud to not loud as it bounced off the rock.” Here, were are shown the protective and caring Christian who will save his sister and look out for her. Additionally, Cat realizes how much she missed Christian and she is thrilled to have him back as a loyal and close brother.

By looking at Cat’s behaviors both in the past and in the present, we can see that Cat wants things to be like how they were when she was a child. Cat wants her friends back, especially Patrick, and she wants her bond with her brother to be strong again. The feeling of missing someone or something is a very powerful feeling that takes over an individual. We can see this by the way Cat stays at Patricks while she should be at church. People today miss many others and it is difficult coping with the feeling. Cat doesn’t realize what she misses until it’s late, and we don’t realize what we miss until it’s too  late either.