In regards to English I have honestly enjoyed the first marking period. There was never a point where I felt overwhelmed by the amount of work that was given out. In general, I liked the fact that for each of the assignments that were handed out we were almost always given time to work on them in class. The instructions are clearly given yet unlike other classes I do not feel restricted. There is a higher amount of creativity allowed in this class with projects and other assignments. When compared to other classes English tends to be fairly easy but this could be due to the fact that I enjoy it the most and would much rather write any day then do math.
Coming from a gifted language arts class last year this class is much different. I am not used to having language arts all five days in the school week so that was a big change that I had to get used to along with the fact that there would only be around 2 projects occurring at once instead of 4. It is much easier to manage my time this way and complete everything that I need to. Everything is much more relaxed and does not impede on the work that I am given in other classes. It does not eat away my time like other classes I am currently taking. Although I do believe that the independent reading project could have been more challenging, I have a feeling like everything will get harder coming up.
Thursday, October 21, 2010
Thursday, October 14, 2010
Musical Connections
There are many songs that could arguably connect in various ways to To Kill a Mockingbird. However, the other day I heard my father playing a song on the guitar that he used to play a lot when I was little. I had never actually listened or thought about the lyrics, but when I did I realized that they connect very well to the story.
Another turning point, a fork stuck in the road
Time grabs you by the wrist, directs you where to go
So make the best of this test, and don't ask why
It's not a question, but a lesson learned in time
-“Good Riddance” Green Day
The first line of the song reminds me of how Atticus had reached a fork stuck in the road. He did his best with the situation that he was given, along with Tom Robinson. They both were dealt with unfortunate circumstances that they had to work with. As the second line states, only time would tell if their circumstances were becoming any better. Atticus and Tom painstakingly waited for the results from the journey. In the end, the whole experience was a true-life test for both of them. It proved to be to be too much for Tom to handle and even had a large impact on Atticus. The lesson learned in time could also refer to Jem, who was forced to grow up fast and recognize that life is not always fair.
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
Social Justice
In 1955 Emmett Till was brutally murdered at the age of 14 by two white men in their thirties. One of them happened to be the wife of a white woman whom Till had talked with on the street earlier that week. His husband became angry and decided to murder Till, over a matter so small. Not only was Till murdered, he was horrifically beaten by the two men, shot, and thrown in the river. When he was found, his mother decided to have an open-casket funeral to show the public just how serious and terrifying the inferiority of blacks to whites was becoming. The fact that Emmett Till’s face had almost no features left, leaving it virtually impossible to recognize him, showed the public the extreme to which things had gone. This marked the start to the Civil Rights Movements.
In order to fully capture social justice in a society there must be fairness and equality amongst the people. There must be understanding, sympathy, and the courage to look through another’s eyes for moment. Unfortunately in many cases this does not occur. Our society has grown into a fairly tolerable and diverse one that seems to have grown in multiple ways since the 1950’s and 60’s when African Americans were considered of lesser importance. However, although our society may not be so upfront about social injustices, there are still many hidden areas of society that do not receive the attention that they need and the full amount of respect and equality that was a given right to them at birth.
For example, social injustices occur in everyday looking households among young children. Child abuse is one of the largest unseen social injustices that are mainly hidden because these children do not have a voice to speak out. They do not have the ability to form campaigns or let others know what is occurring. Only about 1/3 of cases are reported, showing just how little the general public knows about this large problem. With Americans defending their rights to punish their children, it is no wonder that this is one of the largest social injustices still occurring. Many citizens choose to overlook child abuse when viewing it because they either do not feel it is their place to step in or feel as if the parent has the right to raise their child in their own way. It is this turning of the cheek that allows social injustice to continue. However, those who choose to take a stand are doing everything in their power to lower the percent of this unseen cruelty. Many groups have been formed including the CACA (Citizens against Child Abuse) and others to ensure that social justice will be reached eventually for the children who have little voice in the problem.
There are many other social injustices that occur today among women, foreigners, and various other cultures. Discrimination in the workplace, in schools, and in public places is still around however not as prevalent. If we are truly the society that we believe we have transformed into, the society which is tolerable, fair, and courageous, we will find the social injustices that are left among us and fight to end them. The cry for social justice became evident to many among the murder of a young boy in 1955. It should not take another incident of the same caliber to open the eyes of the people to not only refrain from discrimination and inequality, but to fight against it and take a stand as well.
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