Mike Rose is an accomplished writer and teacher, in this piece he examines the diverse examples of educational excellence. He talkes about how Pasadena' s population through tourism, the decline in tourism durring the great depression and the rise after WW2.
I had read some things about Pasadena but i was surprised to read that it was an extremely segregated community. Everything from the housing, schools and medical facilities were segregated. This was mostly due to the fact that It was filled with a more priviledged type of person while now it is mostly recognized as a middle- class community. The white population became a minority while the Latino and Asian populations increased, Armenian's also began to migrate from there point of entry in east hollywood and glendale.
After Pasadena high was reformed to accomidate the boom in population, desegregation laws and busing were mandated. The ethnic percentage grew even larger after the demographic changes, bus changes and the white students flight to private schools. This explains a lot about what happened to most inner city and lower class schools. It is easy to forget that at one point those schools were filled with wealthier students but once those students were intergrated with middle and lower class students, their families chose to change to a more private location.
I felt this reading had two purposes, to inform about Pasadena's school system but also to show people how a certain county or school system could alter so quickly . Pasadena went from being an upper class neighborhood filled with wealthy and few lower segregated class, to a place were the minority was not the whites. I was able to retrieve a lot of information from this exerpt and found it very interesting to read.
Sunday, December 12, 2010
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
"Savage Inequalities"(1991)By: Jonathan Kozol
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
" What High School Can Be" By: Theodore R. Sizer
This report on High Schools done by Theodore R. Sizer was briliant in many ways. He was able to digg deep into the student part of what occured in a normal school day and understand the many problems. Most studies on high schools are done by test scores or percentages, it was refreshing to see that the author took the initiative and entered the high schools through the students perspective. Sizer does a great job of this by shadowing two students from different areas, through there high school day.
Will who lives in an upper middle class suburban area is the first student Sizer talkes about and follows through the periods of the day. He describes Will as an athlete who basically remains motionless and quite throughout all of his classes. This to me was not a surprising sinario, i am familiar with the student athletes who only really participate in school durring the athletic activities after school.
On the other hand, there was Martha from a high school in a working class neighborhood. Everyday she went through a ruitene, going to classes that were lifeless and stricked. The quote that stuck out for me the most about Martha would have to be when she turned to Sizer and said, " im not stupid, im not stupid, im not stupid!". At that point in the report i really felt for Martha, so many students are put it classes that dont even challenge them, classes that just run through the process of school rather than really trying to make an impact on the students minds.
I was especially surprised by the fact that the same basic ideas and practices for schooling presented by the committee of ten about 80 years ago were still present. The only difference however was the beliefe of how important science as a subject was, compared to foreign languages. The author shows a lot of emotion when he talks about the way high schools are recognized and what students go through. I find that he is completly correct when he sys that the authorites of these schools do not seem to acknowledge the weaknesses within the schools. Maybe if all high schools realized that somethings need o be changed to better the lives of there students, more kids would actually gain something more then anger or popularity from high school, they would gain a stronger education to send them out into the world.
Will who lives in an upper middle class suburban area is the first student Sizer talkes about and follows through the periods of the day. He describes Will as an athlete who basically remains motionless and quite throughout all of his classes. This to me was not a surprising sinario, i am familiar with the student athletes who only really participate in school durring the athletic activities after school.
On the other hand, there was Martha from a high school in a working class neighborhood. Everyday she went through a ruitene, going to classes that were lifeless and stricked. The quote that stuck out for me the most about Martha would have to be when she turned to Sizer and said, " im not stupid, im not stupid, im not stupid!". At that point in the report i really felt for Martha, so many students are put it classes that dont even challenge them, classes that just run through the process of school rather than really trying to make an impact on the students minds.
I was especially surprised by the fact that the same basic ideas and practices for schooling presented by the committee of ten about 80 years ago were still present. The only difference however was the beliefe of how important science as a subject was, compared to foreign languages. The author shows a lot of emotion when he talks about the way high schools are recognized and what students go through. I find that he is completly correct when he sys that the authorites of these schools do not seem to acknowledge the weaknesses within the schools. Maybe if all high schools realized that somethings need o be changed to better the lives of there students, more kids would actually gain something more then anger or popularity from high school, they would gain a stronger education to send them out into the world.
Monday, November 15, 2010
"Creating the comprehensive high school"by James B Conant..& "In the Beginnning: the 1893 Report of the Committee of ten" by Charles Eliot
Both of these readings went on about schools, more specifically how high schools are run and how students were learning. The reading by Charles Eliot spoke about a committee who delt and debated over the questions high schools should be paying close attention to. While the piece writen by James Conant was geared more towards how students could be better taught and the best possible ways to run a good school.
It was diffiicult to read "In the Beginning..." because i felt asthough it was very dry and had no conection to its readers. The questions the counsels were asking however were correct. They foccused alot on the way a school should be run to better sute the needs of its students. Though this was written many years before, it still discussed many questions teachers and students deal with today.
The piece written by James Conant "Creating the Comprehensive High School" was much easier to read and understand. The author discussed high schools that him and his group had visited. He describes all the things he found they were doing wrong, problems that were even effecting students education. The author states that most students that were advanced were not being guided properly or made to take certain classes that would only benifite them. Conant also goes on to state revisions he thinks would help school systems work better. One way is by recomending certain classes like literature, math and sciences be taken at an earlier age then high school, because many students enter college withough sufficient knowlede in those subjects. In Conant's second book he does not mention those subjects as classes that should be taught at an earlier age.
I feel that i would agree with what both authors had to say because school systems, especially high schools have always been faulty. I believe it to be because it is difficult to find a balance between a serious high school invironment and a place were children could go to express themselves but learn at the same time. Another major problem is funding, most schools just dont have to money to do the things asked of by these authors, they cant afford special counselers for the more talented kids or a teacher to constantly work with the kids who fall behind. Even so, maybe one day all these things will be posible and the problems faced by high schools today will be a thing of the past.
It was diffiicult to read "In the Beginning..." because i felt asthough it was very dry and had no conection to its readers. The questions the counsels were asking however were correct. They foccused alot on the way a school should be run to better sute the needs of its students. Though this was written many years before, it still discussed many questions teachers and students deal with today.
The piece written by James Conant "Creating the Comprehensive High School" was much easier to read and understand. The author discussed high schools that him and his group had visited. He describes all the things he found they were doing wrong, problems that were even effecting students education. The author states that most students that were advanced were not being guided properly or made to take certain classes that would only benifite them. Conant also goes on to state revisions he thinks would help school systems work better. One way is by recomending certain classes like literature, math and sciences be taken at an earlier age then high school, because many students enter college withough sufficient knowlede in those subjects. In Conant's second book he does not mention those subjects as classes that should be taught at an earlier age.
I feel that i would agree with what both authors had to say because school systems, especially high schools have always been faulty. I believe it to be because it is difficult to find a balance between a serious high school invironment and a place were children could go to express themselves but learn at the same time. Another major problem is funding, most schools just dont have to money to do the things asked of by these authors, they cant afford special counselers for the more talented kids or a teacher to constantly work with the kids who fall behind. Even so, maybe one day all these things will be posible and the problems faced by high schools today will be a thing of the past.
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
"Beyond the Cult of Fatherhood"By: David Osborne
"Beyond the Cult of fatherhood", when i first read this title i was a bit confused. I can imagine a cult of Motherhood but Fatherhood, what could a man possible know about raising a child. That was my initial thought as i began reading this piece. I do understand that there are many different types of families and there are men who are the primary care givers, but to be honest most men could not come close to the bond women have with there children.
As i continued reading, the author recognized my point and explained how he realized he could not come close to what his wife had with the child (Nick) even if he had desired to. This brought up another question for me, how many men want to have a strong bond with there baby but are unable to without making there partners feel insecure about there maternal duties? Do most men want a more active role in there child's life but don't know how to go about it?
The author begins the story by telling the reader all that has been going on in his day, from the baby's fever to the stress he has been facing trying to complete his work. I feel that most men would pity him while a woman reading this article would be happy a man is feeling her pain. That a man is understanding what she goes through everyday. I do have to admit that i felt like he should go through everything he did because it gave him a deeper appreciation to what mothers do everyday. The author goes on to say "After 48 hours, I'm ready to pin medals on women who stay home every day with their kids. For single mothers, I'm ready to build monuments...".
This story shows me that though the author had his doubts and moments that he felt miserable, the time he had with his son were priceless. When it comes down to it time goes so quickly, the author is only so lucky that he got such precious memories in the days spent home raising his son. Most men may be reluctant to admit it but maybe they want to be pushed into being more involved with their child. Perhaps fathers want to say they have been forced rather than they made the decision themselves.
As i continued reading, the author recognized my point and explained how he realized he could not come close to what his wife had with the child (Nick) even if he had desired to. This brought up another question for me, how many men want to have a strong bond with there baby but are unable to without making there partners feel insecure about there maternal duties? Do most men want a more active role in there child's life but don't know how to go about it?
The author begins the story by telling the reader all that has been going on in his day, from the baby's fever to the stress he has been facing trying to complete his work. I feel that most men would pity him while a woman reading this article would be happy a man is feeling her pain. That a man is understanding what she goes through everyday. I do have to admit that i felt like he should go through everything he did because it gave him a deeper appreciation to what mothers do everyday. The author goes on to say "After 48 hours, I'm ready to pin medals on women who stay home every day with their kids. For single mothers, I'm ready to build monuments...".
This story shows me that though the author had his doubts and moments that he felt miserable, the time he had with his son were priceless. When it comes down to it time goes so quickly, the author is only so lucky that he got such precious memories in the days spent home raising his son. Most men may be reluctant to admit it but maybe they want to be pushed into being more involved with their child. Perhaps fathers want to say they have been forced rather than they made the decision themselves.
Monday, October 25, 2010
"Woman's Rights/When Woman Get Her Rights Man Will Be Right"By Sojourner Truth- "Conquering Themselves So Beautifully" By Louisa May Alcott
These two pieces fit extraordinarily well together. They both manage to hit the major points of what women have been faced with throughout time. One focused more on the rights of women and women coming into there own as a powerful group rather than the property of men. The other story was about four young women, each of these young women could relate to any type of women because they faced all of the insecurities and expectations women face every day.
In the piece written by Sojourner Truth i saw two sides to the writer. In both Woman's Rights and When Woman Get Her Rights Man Will Be Right, i saw a great deal of emotion. Woman's Rights was written very plainly, in the authors exact words which brings the reader ever deeper into the authors world. As for the second piece written by Sojourner Truth, i do have to admit i was a little confused at her examples. In parts of her speech it almost feels like she understands that women, more specifically black women are not as intelligent as the white women. Though after reading it over a few times i saw that maybe she was trying to appeal to the white women for support in the fight as well. Sojourner knew that the fight for woman to be treated as equals was not going to be easy, she needed all the help she could get.
Conquering themselves so Beautifully connected with Sojourners speech because in this story the woman were treated better because they were not slaves, but they still had to fit a certain mold to please a man. Regardless of the fact that the man they were pleasing was there father, i still feel that was a defining point in the story. The problem was not that they were trying to please there father but in the way they thought they should. All of the girls wanted to be more "lady like" and the intellectual child "Amy" wanted to basically dumb herself down because everyone told her it was wrong for her to try to speak with such large words.
Both of these pieces hit different sides of the fights woman face everyday, no matter what the year may be the challenges woman must over some keep coming. Today woman still must fight to prove themselves at home, school and the work place, i know that just as our ancestors have done before use we will continue to conquer the challenges ahead.
In the piece written by Sojourner Truth i saw two sides to the writer. In both Woman's Rights and When Woman Get Her Rights Man Will Be Right, i saw a great deal of emotion. Woman's Rights was written very plainly, in the authors exact words which brings the reader ever deeper into the authors world. As for the second piece written by Sojourner Truth, i do have to admit i was a little confused at her examples. In parts of her speech it almost feels like she understands that women, more specifically black women are not as intelligent as the white women. Though after reading it over a few times i saw that maybe she was trying to appeal to the white women for support in the fight as well. Sojourner knew that the fight for woman to be treated as equals was not going to be easy, she needed all the help she could get.
Conquering themselves so Beautifully connected with Sojourners speech because in this story the woman were treated better because they were not slaves, but they still had to fit a certain mold to please a man. Regardless of the fact that the man they were pleasing was there father, i still feel that was a defining point in the story. The problem was not that they were trying to please there father but in the way they thought they should. All of the girls wanted to be more "lady like" and the intellectual child "Amy" wanted to basically dumb herself down because everyone told her it was wrong for her to try to speak with such large words.
Both of these pieces hit different sides of the fights woman face everyday, no matter what the year may be the challenges woman must over some keep coming. Today woman still must fight to prove themselves at home, school and the work place, i know that just as our ancestors have done before use we will continue to conquer the challenges ahead.
Monday, October 18, 2010
"I'm Thin Therefore I Am" By: Nicci Gerrardo
As i began to read the title of this story i imagined it would be about a typical women speaking about body image and how much women really care about it. I quickly realized that it was completely the opposite, there was so much depth in this piece that i immediately became intrigued. I feel that most women can easily relate to this story because its about more than appearance, its about life and living, savoring every part of it.
The author began the story by talking about hunger and how it rarely plays a part in why she eats. Her first sentence alone could make a connection to anyone because no matter what mood you are in when you eat, most of the time its because of your feelings, not your stomach. She then goes on to explain how important food and cooking is in her daily life. Its a door that connects her to her family, herself and even piece. The author does a magnificent job of bringing to light the happiness but also the pain food brings to peoples lives.
Gerrardo also switches over from the joy she gets from food, to how peoples body images changing over the years. Its obvious that societies vision of beauty is a thin and tall figure but society may be the reason why so many young people have body dis morphia or believe they are over weight when in reality they are extremely Mal nourished. Though many test have proven this to be a growing problem in our country i would have to disagree with the example given in the book about the Miss America pageant winners. After seeing the picture of the winner from 1927 i saw that she was average in body size and looked exactly like what era would have consisted of. I have to admit i was expecting a drastic difference when i looked over at their winner in 1997, but as far as body image goes i don't think there was anything wrong with her. The nutrition experts quoted in the book stated that the contestants now are dangerously malnourished and under weight, i do not think that is true. Of course the contestant from 1997 is going to look different because in that decade women where already exercising different ideas, and a more fit and healthy body was one of them. Though there are definitely a high number of pageant girls malnourished I don't see any signs of that in the photo of the winner in 1997.
Overall i thought this piece was very strong and made me think of my family, about how we all connect and come together over food. Its a source of comfort and can show someone how much you really care for them. I very much enjoyed reading this because it wasn't the normal story about someones struggle with food that makes you resent eating, it was a story that reminds you about what a great thing it can be, all the wonderful memories it can bring.
The author began the story by talking about hunger and how it rarely plays a part in why she eats. Her first sentence alone could make a connection to anyone because no matter what mood you are in when you eat, most of the time its because of your feelings, not your stomach. She then goes on to explain how important food and cooking is in her daily life. Its a door that connects her to her family, herself and even piece. The author does a magnificent job of bringing to light the happiness but also the pain food brings to peoples lives.
Gerrardo also switches over from the joy she gets from food, to how peoples body images changing over the years. Its obvious that societies vision of beauty is a thin and tall figure but society may be the reason why so many young people have body dis morphia or believe they are over weight when in reality they are extremely Mal nourished. Though many test have proven this to be a growing problem in our country i would have to disagree with the example given in the book about the Miss America pageant winners. After seeing the picture of the winner from 1927 i saw that she was average in body size and looked exactly like what era would have consisted of. I have to admit i was expecting a drastic difference when i looked over at their winner in 1997, but as far as body image goes i don't think there was anything wrong with her. The nutrition experts quoted in the book stated that the contestants now are dangerously malnourished and under weight, i do not think that is true. Of course the contestant from 1997 is going to look different because in that decade women where already exercising different ideas, and a more fit and healthy body was one of them. Though there are definitely a high number of pageant girls malnourished I don't see any signs of that in the photo of the winner in 1997.
Overall i thought this piece was very strong and made me think of my family, about how we all connect and come together over food. Its a source of comfort and can show someone how much you really care for them. I very much enjoyed reading this because it wasn't the normal story about someones struggle with food that makes you resent eating, it was a story that reminds you about what a great thing it can be, all the wonderful memories it can bring.
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
"Bros Before Hos": The Guys Code
This piece had so much information about a guys "world" that its easy for anyone to get an idea of what life is like for a young man. "Bros Before Hos" opened my eyes to what men really face on a day to day basis, how the simplest words and actions may effect there image.
When i first looked at the title i had imagined this story would be about the guy code for how they act towards women. I thought this would be a piece about all the rules guys follow pertaining to choosing there friends over other women or the very popular rule of not stealing a friends girl. Much to my surprise this was about a different set of rules, the guy codes for maintaining there man -hood and staying in the masculine category.
My Initial perspective was that men couldn't have it tougher than a women. Women have to deal with so man changes and standards throw there way that men couldn't possibly compare. Though after going deeper into the piece i started to see that maybe beneath there cool exterior they did have problems on there mind. I have always heard those comments the author used as examples in the text, whether they were towards my brothers or other male friends but i had never taking a moment to really think about the effect it had on there development. One rarely sees the power a few words could have on a child who looks up to you, i think that's why men take so strongly to what is said to them by the male figures in there lives, because they look up to them.
One statement that really caught my attention was when the author said " Homophobia is...the fear of other men-that other men will perceive you as a failure, as a fraud." This really struck a cord with me because i have seen so many insecure men be homophobic but the men who are calm and never try to be super masculine are always the ones who are completely fine with being around a homosexual.
This piece opened my eyes to the power words could have over someone if they are constantly hearing it growing up. By the time a boy is considered an adult a simple joking phrase like "that's gay"or "big baby" means a lot more to him then what is written on the surface. I think over all as a society we need to stop trying to categorize everything we do and trying to find a definition for every action. We should learn to live and enjoy, maybe then there wouldn't be so many suicides or columbines in our world.
When i first looked at the title i had imagined this story would be about the guy code for how they act towards women. I thought this would be a piece about all the rules guys follow pertaining to choosing there friends over other women or the very popular rule of not stealing a friends girl. Much to my surprise this was about a different set of rules, the guy codes for maintaining there man -hood and staying in the masculine category.
My Initial perspective was that men couldn't have it tougher than a women. Women have to deal with so man changes and standards throw there way that men couldn't possibly compare. Though after going deeper into the piece i started to see that maybe beneath there cool exterior they did have problems on there mind. I have always heard those comments the author used as examples in the text, whether they were towards my brothers or other male friends but i had never taking a moment to really think about the effect it had on there development. One rarely sees the power a few words could have on a child who looks up to you, i think that's why men take so strongly to what is said to them by the male figures in there lives, because they look up to them.
One statement that really caught my attention was when the author said " Homophobia is...the fear of other men-that other men will perceive you as a failure, as a fraud." This really struck a cord with me because i have seen so many insecure men be homophobic but the men who are calm and never try to be super masculine are always the ones who are completely fine with being around a homosexual.
This piece opened my eyes to the power words could have over someone if they are constantly hearing it growing up. By the time a boy is considered an adult a simple joking phrase like "that's gay"or "big baby" means a lot more to him then what is written on the surface. I think over all as a society we need to stop trying to categorize everything we do and trying to find a definition for every action. We should learn to live and enjoy, maybe then there wouldn't be so many suicides or columbines in our world.
Monday, October 11, 2010
" A Boys Life" Hanna Rosin
The story "A Boys Life" is about a child who was born just like any other baby boy without any abnormalities. This baby's name was Brandon and though he was born a boy, his family started to notice some wierd behaviors occuring that most boys dont display. Brandon was only interested in girl things and wanted to look like one. The strangest thing about all of his actions was that he began wanting to be a female at such a young age, at only two years old he was already hiding his genetalia and pretending to be a girl. The article also goes on to describe not only how he is copping with his physical appearance but how his mother and stepfather are going about dealing with it.
My inicial perspective when i began reading was that Brandon was very lucky to have such understanding parents, especially his mother who didnt seem to doubt her son once. If anything she was constantly evaluating her own desicions because she was afraid of ruinning his life. One thing that never changed throughout the entire piece was her supportiveness, she didnt look down appon her son and simply aloud him to express himself freely. Tina, Brandons mother even made an effort to connect withother mothers she found who had transgender children. They lived in a confederate neighborhood and still Tina opened her mind to other ways of life, that to me showed how great of a mother she really was.
This article opened my eyes to that many different cases of transgender children living all around the world. I had no idea the numbers were so large and that these children could actually be aware of this at such a young innocent age. I feel asthough it is an extreme amout of growing to do so early on in life, these kids miss out on the best parts of there lives because they are dealing with so much hardship. I also learned about the harmone blockers wich to me seem like a very usefull treatment, though like any scientific movement need to be very carefully chosen. I do not agree with all of Zucker's oppinions about how he could simply change a child who believed they were born in the wrong body by raising them in a patriarchal invironment, but i do however believe that parents should be absolutly sure there children are not just homosexual and are really transgender. It is much better to allow your child to be who they are instead of causing them so much pain throughout there lives that they actually hurt themselves or others.
What i took from this piece was that this will always be a very heated debate, gender is always a controversal subject and when you add a child in the mix things can only get more complicated. Its very hard to choose a side on this subject because when it comes down to it, who really knows what is best for these children? Even there parents are unsure and they are crazy if they are confident in every choice they make because this is a child, not a document that is written out in a specific way and cannot be any different. I hope that as we all grow as a human race we can see that we are all connected and though we face different paths in life we still all have our differences and problems, though some people are dealt with a harder road it doesnt make them any less human. Brandon is now Bridget and i say more power to her, i think once she is able to mature and get over her struggles now it will only make her a stronger person. Its just a shame more people cant look at life through other peoples eyes, maybe then they would understand how it feels to be different.
My inicial perspective when i began reading was that Brandon was very lucky to have such understanding parents, especially his mother who didnt seem to doubt her son once. If anything she was constantly evaluating her own desicions because she was afraid of ruinning his life. One thing that never changed throughout the entire piece was her supportiveness, she didnt look down appon her son and simply aloud him to express himself freely. Tina, Brandons mother even made an effort to connect withother mothers she found who had transgender children. They lived in a confederate neighborhood and still Tina opened her mind to other ways of life, that to me showed how great of a mother she really was.
This article opened my eyes to that many different cases of transgender children living all around the world. I had no idea the numbers were so large and that these children could actually be aware of this at such a young innocent age. I feel asthough it is an extreme amout of growing to do so early on in life, these kids miss out on the best parts of there lives because they are dealing with so much hardship. I also learned about the harmone blockers wich to me seem like a very usefull treatment, though like any scientific movement need to be very carefully chosen. I do not agree with all of Zucker's oppinions about how he could simply change a child who believed they were born in the wrong body by raising them in a patriarchal invironment, but i do however believe that parents should be absolutly sure there children are not just homosexual and are really transgender. It is much better to allow your child to be who they are instead of causing them so much pain throughout there lives that they actually hurt themselves or others.
What i took from this piece was that this will always be a very heated debate, gender is always a controversal subject and when you add a child in the mix things can only get more complicated. Its very hard to choose a side on this subject because when it comes down to it, who really knows what is best for these children? Even there parents are unsure and they are crazy if they are confident in every choice they make because this is a child, not a document that is written out in a specific way and cannot be any different. I hope that as we all grow as a human race we can see that we are all connected and though we face different paths in life we still all have our differences and problems, though some people are dealt with a harder road it doesnt make them any less human. Brandon is now Bridget and i say more power to her, i think once she is able to mature and get over her struggles now it will only make her a stronger person. Its just a shame more people cant look at life through other peoples eyes, maybe then they would understand how it feels to be different.
Friday, October 8, 2010
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
"Serving in Florida" by Barbara Ehrenreich
The story " Serving in Florida" is a journalists report on what she was forced to encounter as she took on an undercover role. Her story was a bout lower class citizens and what they face through there day to day struggles of paying the bills. The story began with Barbara telling college students to think twice before they droop out and persue a minimum-wage job.
My inicial perspective was that the authors story would have some difficult moments and cause her to face the reality of what life truly consisted of outside of her comfortable living style. I expected the moral behind this whole peice to be sympathetic towards minimum-wage but still show an optimistic view of making it through in that line of work.
The story then goes on to describe the authors job and how difficult it was to maintain not just one but two waitressing jobs. though the author quite one job she was very quick to start looking for another to replace that space. It was challenging to make friends but she was able to meet two people that became very close to her, Gail who was a waitress at the Hearthside and lived in her van. Barbara also formed a very close relationship with a young man named George, he was the dishwasher at her place of imployment, jerry's. George was a sweat boy from the Czech Republic and as i read furthur into the story i found that he was convicted of stealing though the truth was never revealed, i felt that the author never truly believed it to be. As the story progresses the author begins another job at a hotel as a cleaning lady. she describes her struggle on working both jobs but notes that it is necassary for her to aford her rent.I began to notice a change in the author as she progressed living and working at in that atmosphere, she no longer faught against the grain. Maybe the hard physical labor had began to wear her out, or maybe she had been to afraid to argue and loose her job. Whatever had caused her mentality to change was not good and she began to feel it aswell. It has become so costly for her to live in her appartment that she is forced to put a down payment on a trailer, but she only lives there for a short while before she calls it quites on the entire project.
I found the end of this story to be disapointing, it was great that the author chose to leave behind money for Gail and George to help them pay there bills but i felt as though she just gave up. The message she ened up portraying was not that of conquering challenges thrown at you, but that when the going get tough it easy to run away if you have a back up. What i took away from this article was that some desicions u make in life are not easy to some back from, sometimes what seems like the easiest road will be the most challenging and dissapointing.
My inicial perspective was that the authors story would have some difficult moments and cause her to face the reality of what life truly consisted of outside of her comfortable living style. I expected the moral behind this whole peice to be sympathetic towards minimum-wage but still show an optimistic view of making it through in that line of work.
The story then goes on to describe the authors job and how difficult it was to maintain not just one but two waitressing jobs. though the author quite one job she was very quick to start looking for another to replace that space. It was challenging to make friends but she was able to meet two people that became very close to her, Gail who was a waitress at the Hearthside and lived in her van. Barbara also formed a very close relationship with a young man named George, he was the dishwasher at her place of imployment, jerry's. George was a sweat boy from the Czech Republic and as i read furthur into the story i found that he was convicted of stealing though the truth was never revealed, i felt that the author never truly believed it to be. As the story progresses the author begins another job at a hotel as a cleaning lady. she describes her struggle on working both jobs but notes that it is necassary for her to aford her rent.I began to notice a change in the author as she progressed living and working at in that atmosphere, she no longer faught against the grain. Maybe the hard physical labor had began to wear her out, or maybe she had been to afraid to argue and loose her job. Whatever had caused her mentality to change was not good and she began to feel it aswell. It has become so costly for her to live in her appartment that she is forced to put a down payment on a trailer, but she only lives there for a short while before she calls it quites on the entire project.
I found the end of this story to be disapointing, it was great that the author chose to leave behind money for Gail and George to help them pay there bills but i felt as though she just gave up. The message she ened up portraying was not that of conquering challenges thrown at you, but that when the going get tough it easy to run away if you have a back up. What i took away from this article was that some desicions u make in life are not easy to some back from, sometimes what seems like the easiest road will be the most challenging and dissapointing.
Sunday, September 26, 2010
"Looking for Work" by Gary Soto
In my perspective this text was both simple and complicatingto understand. I know that is contradicting but in many ways that statement identifies the characters feelings as well. In reading the pre text about the author Gary Soto and what his growing up was like, i quickly identified with his upbringing. I believe that he himself felt a close bond to the main character in his story, the main reason being that they both grew up in the lower class of society. though it was not stated in the pre text that Soto looked up to the wealthy and wanted to be liked by them, everyone wants to be someone special when their growing up so its not impossible to imagine that he felt that very same way.
This text started very randomly with the young narrator talking about the t.v show he watched while drinking Kool Ade. He was very descriptive even in the manner he had been holding the drink between his knees. He does extremely well in describing every aspect of there environment and how his family lives there lives compared to the t.v families he watched. At first the narrator sounded as though he was embarrassed of who he was, it seemed to me that the author thought getting into a wealthy lifestyle was simple. I quickly realized as i continued to read that this little boy was willing to work for anything to reach his goal, it was superficial of him to think that the perfect life came with wearing shoes at the dinner table or looking like the rich people, but it deffinently wasn't wrong of him to want something better.
In many ways the narrator proved to be a better person then the people he wanted to be like. money was important to him but when the opportunity came for him to go to the pool with his friend he offered to give him money so they could go. What i found even more surprising was when his sister wanted to go but had no money, he simply told her to come along and he would take care of it. It is hard to find siblings at such a young age that would share especial share money that they worked for. At the rate the narrator was going he would end up spending his hard earned money to help others so they could all have fun together, and that is better then any upper class style of living.
All in all i think the story had a more simple meaning behind it than an average persons desire to be something more, something he was not. At the end of the story the narrator makes a small note of his neighbor who seems to be living the life he wants and who is also close friends with his older brother. This made me think, maybe the story wasn't about a boy who looked up to people in a far away t.v land, but someone who lived just over the fence, someone who had formed a bond with his brother while he remained on the "side lines" so to speak.
This text started very randomly with the young narrator talking about the t.v show he watched while drinking Kool Ade. He was very descriptive even in the manner he had been holding the drink between his knees. He does extremely well in describing every aspect of there environment and how his family lives there lives compared to the t.v families he watched. At first the narrator sounded as though he was embarrassed of who he was, it seemed to me that the author thought getting into a wealthy lifestyle was simple. I quickly realized as i continued to read that this little boy was willing to work for anything to reach his goal, it was superficial of him to think that the perfect life came with wearing shoes at the dinner table or looking like the rich people, but it deffinently wasn't wrong of him to want something better.
In many ways the narrator proved to be a better person then the people he wanted to be like. money was important to him but when the opportunity came for him to go to the pool with his friend he offered to give him money so they could go. What i found even more surprising was when his sister wanted to go but had no money, he simply told her to come along and he would take care of it. It is hard to find siblings at such a young age that would share especial share money that they worked for. At the rate the narrator was going he would end up spending his hard earned money to help others so they could all have fun together, and that is better then any upper class style of living.
All in all i think the story had a more simple meaning behind it than an average persons desire to be something more, something he was not. At the end of the story the narrator makes a small note of his neighbor who seems to be living the life he wants and who is also close friends with his older brother. This made me think, maybe the story wasn't about a boy who looked up to people in a far away t.v land, but someone who lived just over the fence, someone who had formed a bond with his brother while he remained on the "side lines" so to speak.
Sunday, September 19, 2010
Conflict essays...9/20/10
In the first conflict essay writen by Matt, he tells a story that starts off very dramatic. He begins the essay by saying " in sixth grade my world took a wild trip down the road of life", it was a good metaphor but i feel like it was too heavy for this topic. The author then proceeds to explain how his life changed when he was able to finally take guitar lessons, he mentions his dreams of becoming famous. His first perspective in the story was that anything he desired was accesable as long as he worked hard enough to reach his goal.
The conflict to this peice was that after he had got a "gig" at a club he and his band members did not sell enough tickets, the problem grew when on the day of the show his manager said that the author never called him to speak about the ticket sales and therfore it was the authors fault. The band was then forced to performe two hours before they were set to go on stage and all of there fans who had boaght the tickets missed the show.
The authors final perspective by the end of the story was that he couldnt trust anyone and that you dont always get what you want most. It seemed as though the author was heartbroken and dealt with a hard lesson. The second essay elaborates even more on why he felt so strongly about attaining his dream, paragraph 11 states "My parents told me that musicians that i was looking up to at the time were losers, bums, and drug addicts."
The two conflict essays written were by the same person but were actually very different in form. Both were telling the same conflict though the second was alot clearer to understand.After i had read the first essay i thought i understood the basic points of the story and what it was about, but surprisingly i missed major details to the story. Once i had read the second essay it became much clearer and was alot more descriptive even about small events. I did however find the same personal perspective's in both essays, the writers seems to put alot of blame on others in the essay. especially when he is speaking about the ticket sales and making phone calls to clubs so that they can start performing publicly. This shows me that he is confident that everything that took place was not his faul, and that he still holds strong feelings about what happened that night.
The conflict to this peice was that after he had got a "gig" at a club he and his band members did not sell enough tickets, the problem grew when on the day of the show his manager said that the author never called him to speak about the ticket sales and therfore it was the authors fault. The band was then forced to performe two hours before they were set to go on stage and all of there fans who had boaght the tickets missed the show.
The authors final perspective by the end of the story was that he couldnt trust anyone and that you dont always get what you want most. It seemed as though the author was heartbroken and dealt with a hard lesson. The second essay elaborates even more on why he felt so strongly about attaining his dream, paragraph 11 states "My parents told me that musicians that i was looking up to at the time were losers, bums, and drug addicts."
The two conflict essays written were by the same person but were actually very different in form. Both were telling the same conflict though the second was alot clearer to understand.After i had read the first essay i thought i understood the basic points of the story and what it was about, but surprisingly i missed major details to the story. Once i had read the second essay it became much clearer and was alot more descriptive even about small events. I did however find the same personal perspective's in both essays, the writers seems to put alot of blame on others in the essay. especially when he is speaking about the ticket sales and making phone calls to clubs so that they can start performing publicly. This shows me that he is confident that everything that took place was not his faul, and that he still holds strong feelings about what happened that night.
Monday, September 13, 2010
"Hair" ...BY:Malcolm X
The short story "Hair" was writen by Malcolm X, that alone says that it will be very meaningful and mostlikley have something to do with racial acts of descrimination or degredation. The prereading gave me an even deeper look into the kind of person malcolm was and how he thought. He felt so strongly about standing up for his rights and people that he even changed his own last name.However the title did draw me to rethink my ideas about the text, i mean sure people of all races have different types of hair but how could it really turn into a debate over racism?
The story started off a bit confusing because alot of the words used were slang. After a few lines everything began falling into place, Malcolm explaines that hair "conking" is just a term used for chemicaly straightening african american hair. It surprised me that someone as devoted in being proud to be who he was would actually be excited to change his hair from its natural form. This is a man who changed his last name because he thought it was a slave name and here was trying to be something hes not, granted straightening your hair now a days is not such a heated debate. The authors initial perspective was that he would look great with this new style, and after all the pain he went through to get it, he still thought it was all worth it and would not go without another conking again.
However, as Malcolm matured into a man his perspective drasticaly changed. Perhapse the experiences he had faced throughout the years had tainted him in some way, whatever it may have been, he was not the same person and he even haited himself for ever doing that to his head for so many years. He thought he was extremely wrong to go through such terrible pain just so he could look more like the people who haited him so strongly, the "white" man. Malcolm saw that there was a bigger picture than just the "conking", but that it was self degredation. This simple act would only lead to more sever things, like body modification. All people would begin to do these things so they can look more like what was said to be "right" or "beautiful".
I enjoyed this story because it was about more then what was actually written on the pages, even more then blacks and whites. It was about any race, any person that feels there looks arent good enough and that they would be prettier or better looking if there skin was different, if there eyes or hair color was lighter or darker. Self degredation happens all over and to all different types of people. It must be stoped.
The story started off a bit confusing because alot of the words used were slang. After a few lines everything began falling into place, Malcolm explaines that hair "conking" is just a term used for chemicaly straightening african american hair. It surprised me that someone as devoted in being proud to be who he was would actually be excited to change his hair from its natural form. This is a man who changed his last name because he thought it was a slave name and here was trying to be something hes not, granted straightening your hair now a days is not such a heated debate. The authors initial perspective was that he would look great with this new style, and after all the pain he went through to get it, he still thought it was all worth it and would not go without another conking again.
However, as Malcolm matured into a man his perspective drasticaly changed. Perhapse the experiences he had faced throughout the years had tainted him in some way, whatever it may have been, he was not the same person and he even haited himself for ever doing that to his head for so many years. He thought he was extremely wrong to go through such terrible pain just so he could look more like the people who haited him so strongly, the "white" man. Malcolm saw that there was a bigger picture than just the "conking", but that it was self degredation. This simple act would only lead to more sever things, like body modification. All people would begin to do these things so they can look more like what was said to be "right" or "beautiful".
I enjoyed this story because it was about more then what was actually written on the pages, even more then blacks and whites. It was about any race, any person that feels there looks arent good enough and that they would be prettier or better looking if there skin was different, if there eyes or hair color was lighter or darker. Self degredation happens all over and to all different types of people. It must be stoped.
Thursday, September 9, 2010
"Hating Goldie"
This passage was very intriguing to me because when i first read the title i thought it would have something to do with someone or a group of people "hating" a person called goldie. After i read about other books the author had writen and the types of literature she was interested in i began to think that the story must have some connection with a women or a girl faceing some challenge.
On the surface of the story the reader can just see the narrators point of view on how her life had went and we are supposed to make an assumption on how much of her lack of success was really to blame on her parents. The passage went on in a depressing tone that actually could make a reader feel sorry for someone who was so fortunate but suffered alone.
However for me the passage had really nothing to do with the narrator hating her canary "Goldie", it was about her inability took look past herself and what happened or didnt happen to her throughout that made her who she was. Instead of realizing that it was her and only her who held herself back from whatever future she could have seen for herself, she chose the easier way out and managed to find a problem in her almost perfect and easy life. This goes to show that even if u give someone the world they will find something wrong with the "wraping" so to speak.
On the surface of the story the reader can just see the narrators point of view on how her life had went and we are supposed to make an assumption on how much of her lack of success was really to blame on her parents. The passage went on in a depressing tone that actually could make a reader feel sorry for someone who was so fortunate but suffered alone.
However for me the passage had really nothing to do with the narrator hating her canary "Goldie", it was about her inability took look past herself and what happened or didnt happen to her throughout that made her who she was. Instead of realizing that it was her and only her who held herself back from whatever future she could have seen for herself, she chose the easier way out and managed to find a problem in her almost perfect and easy life. This goes to show that even if u give someone the world they will find something wrong with the "wraping" so to speak.
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