Martin Espada essay

Martin Espada Essay

Naomi Giancola 802

In this countries school system, there is a lot of abuse of power that Martin Espada writes about. In the three poems, “Two Mexicans lynched in Santa Cruz, California, May 3rd 1877,” “Revolutionary Spanish lesson,” and “The new bathroom policy at English high school,” by Martin Espada, he explores the theme, abuse of power in all three of these poems. In each poem, there is an authority figure that takes advantage of their power and takes something away from speaker or subject of the poem.

In the poem, “The new bathroom policy at English high school,” there are some boys in a bathroom who are talking in Spanish, and the principle overhears them speaking, and hears his name, “The only word he recognizes/ Is his own name/ And this constipates him.” This would probably make him uncomfortable because he doesn’t know they are saying about him. He then uses his power to ban Spanish from the bathrooms, “So he decides/ To ban Spanish/ From the bathrooms.” Just because some boys were talking and the principal herd his name, he decides to ban Spanish and violate the boys’ civil rights. This is a way that an authority figure uses their power in an unfair and abusive way.

In the poem, “Two Mexicans lynched in Santa Cruz, California, may 3^rd 1877,” Espada talks about how people killed these two men just after they were let out of jail, “When 40 gringo vigilantes/ Cheered the rope/ That snapped two Mexicanos/ Into the grimacing sleep of broken necks.” When the two men were being lynched, people from around the town gathered to see and cheered when the lyncher was pulling the rope. Its really awful how people could have fun while watching two others be killed, “A high collar boy smirking, some peering/ From the shade of their bowler hats, but all/ Crowding into the photograph.” This shows how even though some people couldn’t watch what happened; they still wanted to be remembered in whatever way they can. This also shows abuse of power because they used the fact that they were white and the two men were Hispanic to validate the killing of them being okay.

In the poem, “Revolutionary Spanish lesson,” the speaker say how his/her name is constantly mispronounced and how angry it makes them feel, “Hijack a busload/ of republican tourists.” I think that the speaker feels that the person who is mispronouncing their name is, in a way, mispronouncing their culture. The speaker has a valid opinion but I think that they take it to far, “Force them to chant/ Anti-American slogans/ In Spanish/” I think that even though that the whole poem is just a day dream, some people who are from minorities feel like they have the right to lash out against people who are not from minorities and then feel like their actions are okay because they are a minority. So in a way, the speaker is using the fact that he is a minority to say mean things and then be okay with it. I think that this is a different kind of abuse of power.

To conclude, all of the poems share the same idea, abuse of power. Although each poem portrays the main idea a little differently, they all have the same overall message to say. The message is hat abuse of power is not okay, no matter what form it may take.

Gaokao Essay

Essay on the Gaokao

Choice B

Naomi Giancola 802

            Every year in China, more then nine million students line up to take the Goakao. The Gaokao is a standardized test in China that determines what collage you get to go to, like the SAT. The difference is that it’s the only thing collages look at when they accept you. The test is very difficult test that causes students, teachers, and parents a lot of stress. For some people, the stress starts as early as kindergarten or first grade. For most kids, when they get to ninth grade its all study time. I don’t think that the test is fair for people in China.

            The stress that is put on these kids as they study for the test is way too much for anyone to handle. The school that puts some of the most stress on the students is called, Maotanchang. Part of the stress comes from the extremely long days, “First class at 6:30 in the morning and returning to his room only after the end of his last class at 10:50 at night.” Sixteen and a half hours of school every day. That amount of work is really horrible. Some of the kids who have those long workdays are only 13. It’s not only stressful in the classroom but outside as well. On the small breaks that they do have there is study even more. “The local government has shut down all forms of entertainment.” Along with no entertainment, dating is banned and there are no electrical outlets at all. Basically for three or four years of your life, you are living in hell.

            The stress is difficult but the fact that the test is the only thing that determines what collage you get into is worse. “The Gaokao is like the SAT or the ACT, but its more then twice as long and the stakes are much higher.” It is not fair to the students, and the student’s family, to have this one test be the only thing that matters. Some students may be really smart and just bad test takers. Some may be not as smart but just be good test takers. Having this be the only thing that matters can really push people to their limit, “Teenage suicide rates tend to rise as the Gaokao nears.” This test pushes people way to far academically and emotionally. For some people it’s just too much and they decide to end it all. It is really awful that this test can make people feel so worthless that they kill themselves. It is truly not a fair test.

            Although I think this test is really horrible, some people think that it is the only way to give people a fair chance. A lot of the people who believe this are actually parents, “Efforts have met resistance from many parents, who fear that easing the pressure could hurt their children’s exam results.” The government were actually the people who were trying to lift the workload and the parents were refusing. It is strange that the places weren’t the opposite, which would make more sense. I agree with the government on thins because the amount of work that is required to do in order to get a good score on the Gaokao is immense and difficult. One way it is too much is, “A classroom full of students all hooked up to intravenous drips to give them strength to keep studying.” This was a picture posted online in 2013. The teachers will push the students past the point of exhaustion and force them to keep working. Doing that to anyone should be illegal. That’s just one of the many reasons why the test is not fair.

            The Gaokao test is a long and difficult that puts a lot of pressure and stress on young people. Students study for three years non stop to take the test that will determine whether or not they will get in to a collage or have to join the 260 million other migrant workers in china. The test has unfair stakes and, in my opinion, should not be the only thing that determines what collage you get to go to, and in extension, your future.

Speak essay

Speak Essay

Naomi Giancola 802

            The book Speak, by Laurie Halse Anderson, is about a girl who is raped at a party and calls the cops. She gets a lot of people arrested for being at the party and the whole school hates her. The book is about her trying to accept what happened to her at the party and trying to find the courage to tell people why she really called the cops. I think that this story is very important because in our society, if you do one wrong thing then people will judge you before they even know why you did it and its important for kids my age to know that they should never keep something that important a secret for that long because it can destroy you.

            One example of her being ignored and not accepted is when she looses her last friend; “My cafeteria strategy has changed since ii have no friends in the known universe.” Before, she had been eating with her friend but now that she has lost that friend, she is forced t eat alone and ends up going to a hospital to eat which is a little strange. I think that she goes to the hospital because she knows that no one will recognize here there so she feels safe. Another example of her being alone is, “The best place to figure this out is my closet, my throne room.” Melinda has a room, no a closet, that she goes to when ever she feels upset or is just bored with class. No one else knows about it except her and she spends most of her time in it. I think that the closet represents something a lot bigger then just a place to go. I think it represents what is going on in her head and how nobody really knows about it. I think that Melinda goes there because that closet is really her only safe place in the world.

            There are many ways that all the people at the school make fun of her and shut her out. One way is, “This way I don’t have to admit that no one invited me to go with them.” In this part of the story, Melinda’s parents had just told her that they thought she was to old to go trick-or-treating. I think that it would’ve been better if they hadn’t have said that because then they would know that no one invited Melinda and maybe help her with friends. Its also sad that no one invited Melinda to go trick-or-treating with them because in the book it says that in all the previous years, she had gone trick-or-treating with her friends. Another way that people shut her out is, “This is my mistake, thinking I belong.” In this part, Melinda had just awoken from a nap in her closet and caught the last minute of the school basketball game. She says that it was a mistake to have fun watching it because I think she feels like if someone saw her watching the game then she would ruin it for them or they would think that she was weird and creepy. I think that its really sad that she has to feel that way.

            To conclude, Melinda is treated very unfairly and I think that many kids in our society are treated like things and shammed for things that are not their fault. I think that the book portrays this scenario very well. I think that this book can and will help and a lot of kids in situations like this. Ms. Anderson does a very good job at writing this book.

The Scarlet Letter essay

The Scarlet Letter Essay

 Naomi Giancola 802

            In The Scarlet Letter, by Nathaniel Hawthorne, there are many symbols that the author chooses to use. He uses a rosebush in the beginning, a child for most of the book, and Europe in the end. The symbol that stands out to me the most is the scarlet letter that the main character, Hester has to wear for the entire book. Hester must wear the letter because she committed the sin of adultery. In the story, the letter has many different meaning and in the end, Hester learns to embrace all of them. The letter on Hester’s chest is a very important symbol in the story.

            One of the reasons I think that the A is an important symbol is because it represents things that we would consider happy. “’Thy mother is yonder woman with the scarlet letter.’” The letter represents Hester being a mother. Pearl, her daughter only recognizes her when she has her letter. The letter, to Pearl, represents what her mother went through in order to bring her to life. “The scarlet letter was the object of love and interest.” In the end, the people in the town realize that the letter didn’t really represent what they thought it was supposed to represent. They realized that it symbolized love for her daughter and even love for her self. The letter represents many good things.

            The scarlet letter represents good things, but it also represents bad things. For example, “The scarlet letter was [Hester’s] passport into regions where other women dared not tread. Shame, Despair, Solitude!” The letter represents the struggle that she went through. She was isolated in her house in the outskirts of the town for most of the time she was struggling with what she had done and the shame that was brought upon her. ““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.” The letter also represents how people will always not really be comfortable around her and not completely happy because of the dark cloud that the letter brings along. Hester will never really be able to escape the shame of the letter.

            In the end, Hester’s letter represents a lot more then what it was supposed to represent. It has good and bad things that will be forever attached to it. All of the meanings are very important to the story. The scarlet letter is the most heavily weighed symbol in the book.

Foreword

Foreword for Picture Book

Naomi Gaincola

 A few years ago, when I was about 8, my mom told me a story about how her grandpa was gay but couldn't come out until he was in his 30s because he was scared. She told me that when he eventually came out, het got beat-up almost everyday and tried to commit suicide twice before he met my great grandpa. When my mom told me this, i didn't get why anyone would beat-up anyone for any reason so I just brushed off the story as not important but now that I’m older, I understand what it means and it’s so awful that that could happen to people. And I get that it still happens today and that’s why I wrote this book, I want to eliminate that for the kids of our generation. 

In my research, I found out that, "About 9 out of 10 LGBT teens have reported being bullied at school within the past year." That’s 90% of all LGBT teens in America that might quit school because they feel unsafe where they should feel safe. It’s really shocking to me how people could be so cold hearted and hurt someone because of something that they can’t change. I think that if we could raise awareness to people who are not part of the LGBT community about all the bullying that’s going on then maybe we could make a difference. Another shocking fact is, “LGBT teens are 4 times more likely, and questioning youth are 3 times more likely, to attempt suicide as their straight peers.” This is really awful because people who are “different” shouldn’t be treated differently, and then feel like they aren’t good enough. I hope that soon kids don’t ever feel like that.

In the end I hope that this picture book is able to change how some people see gay teens and really anyone who is feeling bad about them selves. I hope that in the next few years, people become more accepting about people who aren’t the exact same as them.

1."Gay Bullying Statistics." - Bullying Statistics. N.p., n.d. Web. 04 Feb. 2015. 

2."Facts About Suicide." Facts About Suicide. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 Feb. 2015. 

Banned Book Essay

Banned Book Essay

Naomi Giancola 802

          Dear Ms.Berner,

             For many years, people like me have been sheltered from the “terrors” of books. Some of these so-called “terrors” are issues that teens deal with all the time. Some of the most well known banned books deal with cancer, cutting, and suicide. When many people look at these books, they see unneeded exposure to these books, but when teens who are going through the topics of the book see the book, they see hope that everything will be okay. They see a character to relate to and maybe even someone to lean on. When you take away these books, you are taking away teens hope for the future.

           One reason why books shouldn’t be banned is because knowing that another character or another person is going through the same things as you can be just enough to keep you going until you get help. In Ellen Hopkins article, “Banned Books Week 2010: An Anti Censorship Manifesto,” she states, “She saw her self in those pages, and suddenly she knew that she didn’t want to be there. That book turned her around.” This quote shows how a girl who was going through a rough patch was able to find a book to relate to and see that she was destroying her self. The girl was eventually able to get her life together, finish high school, and start a modeling career all because she saw herself in the pages of the book. In Maureen Johnson’s article, “Yes Teen Fiction can be Dark-but it Shows Teenagers They Aren’t Alone,” she says, “For teenagers, there is sometimes no message more critical than: you are not alone. This has happened before. The feelings that you are feeling, the thing you are going through-it is a known thing.” This quote shows how sometimes the most important thing is knowing that you are not the only one in the world going through what you are going through. If they don’t know that someone else is going through it they may become to feel isolated and alone no matter how many friends that have around them. Overall, without books that deal with heavy topics, teens that are carrying around the weight of these issues may feel more alone and not know what to do.

           Another reason why books shouldn’t be banned is because teenagers need to know about the scary issues going on in the real world. We need to know this because when we encounter them its always good to have some info on them. In Mary Elizabeth Williams article, “Has Young Adult Fiction Become to Dark?” she talks about how teens read books because they are intrigued or frightened by the issue. “We read, as teens continue to do now, to be moved, to fall in love with the characters, to learn and to sometimes just explore the things that scared and fascinated us.” Without books that deal with heavy topics, a lot of teens wouldn’t be exposed to them at an age where these things are happening. Eventually we would become aware of them but I think it would be a more traumatic experience because we would realize that those things were going on in other people’s heads while we were doing nothing. Mary Elizabeth Williams also states, “She fails to acknowledge the coarseness and misery already inherent in adolescence.” Since most teens these days are already exposed to such heavy topics, there is no reason why we shouldn’t be allowed to explore deeper into the topics, especially if that person or a friend of that person is going through it. Overall teens that are exposed to the heavy topics will not have their childhood ruined; they will just be more educated than before.

            In some people’s eyes, books shouldn’t be banned but in others, they should. In Johanna Robinsons article, “The Fault In Our Stars has been banned in Schools,” she talks to a parent about why books should be banned. “Karen Kruger, who felt the morbid plot, crude language, and sexual content was inappropriate for children.” I can see the side she’s taking even though I don’t agree with it. Some people don’t want to expose their children to more mature content until they think that their child is ready, which is not a bad thing. I can see where people like her are coming from because there are some things that people my age really shouldn’t know about yet. But if we think that we are ready to learn it then we should be allowed to read up on that topic.  Not knowing something that you want to know can actually stress you out. If we read books that engage us on a topic that we want to know about it can reduce stress levels. For example, in an article called, “Reading can help reduce Stress,” the author states, “By loosing your self in a thoroughly engrossing book you can escape from the worries and stresses of the everyday world.” If people don’t want to expose their kids to sex, drugs, and other more mature topics, they can actually make their kids more interested and maybe even put their kids in a position where the kid has to read behind their parents back. Books are very important for getting information in a positive and a non-stressful way.

            In the end, books shouldn’t be banned because parents don’t want their children exposed to heaver topics because eventually they will find out eventually but in much worse way than books. Kids and Teens should be able to read what ever they want whenever they want. If you don’t let us read the books that we want, then you could be hurting someone way more then if they were allowed to read the book.    

Reading and writing for social justice

Reading and Writing for Social Justice

Naomi Giancola 802

#1- http://www.cnn.com/2013/07/13/justice/zimmerman-trial/ (Article on Travyon Martin)

I think this is a form of social injustice because it deals with one human using stereotype as an excuse to take another humans life. In this case, a neighborhood watchman, Zimmerman, was in his car keeping watch when he saw Travyon walking along the street alone at night. Seeing as Travyon was black and had a hood on, Zimmerman assumed that Trayvon must be up to no good. If Zimmerman had ignored the stereotypes and just asked Treyvon where he was going, like he probably would have done if he had seen a white boy with a hood on, everything would’ve most likely been fine. This makes me really mad because I live near the Projects on bond street and I have seen people get arrested because they were walking to get a coke or something from the deli but it was night time and no one else was around and they were alone. There is no justified reason to arrest someone who is just doing their normal everyday thing.

#2- People not getting enough psychiatric care for mentally ill

-       Mom yelling at crying kid to shut up

-       Illegal immigrant hard labor for almost no pay

One issue that I feel very strongly about is the mom yelling at her crying kid because the kid has no control over the situation. I don’t know any people personally who have been abused, ever, but I know of people who were abused when they were kids. It’s really a horrible thing to ever have to go through, emotionally or physically. There is never any good reason to hit or yell mean things at a little kid. Most of the time they don’t even know what you are yelling or hitting them but the yelling can leave ever lasting emotional scars and the hitting can leave temporary scars but the memory can be forever etched into their minds. There are many books about child abuse but the books are really only about the worst cases. So many kids probably don’t even know they are technically being abused because they are just so used to it. I think that if more people were more educated about child abuse, everyone could look out for small hints and save the small abuse from turning into something even bigger.

#3- Interview

Me- What do you think is good about our world?

Dan- I think the, well, that's a very broad question but I would say that the change in people's participation in their governments and that most slavery had been abolished and that most people have been able to have a say in their government.

Me- What do you think is unfair about our world?

Dan- I think it is the access of people for daily nutrition, just daily simple nutrition. We have enough food to feed everyone in the world and that its shouldn't be sent in politics. Food should not be used as a weapon. I think that governments should do more to provide basic nutrition and education to their citizens. Housing I pretty well dealt with in most countries. Housing, nutrition, and education.  Those are the basic things people should get.

           I think that my dad is right, that people really do need to have food, education, and a place to call home. Although there are bad things in the world, I agree with my dad about the good ones. He said that most slavery has been abolished and that’s true. Even though most of it has been abolished, there are still places where being a slave is not necessarily legal but it’s not really illegal either. And people having a say in their own governments is really a very good thing because if people have a say in their government then they might feel more obligated to not destroy their country and not rebel against the government.  

#4-

#5- My cousin, Jamie, always buys the homeless person on her block a bagel every morning for breakfast.

Interview

Me- When did you start buying the bagel?

Jamie- I guess when I was about 14 years old.

Me- What made you start?

Jamie- Well this guy was always asking people for money to buy food but no one ever gave him any money and I don’t think its ever really a good idea to give anybody money because you don’t know what they will do with it so I bought him a bagel.

Me- What was he like when you gave him the first bagel?

Jamie- I think he was a little startled but then he took it and said thank you and god bless, I think. That was like 5 years ago so I can’t quite remember.

Me- That’s okay. Have you seen other people doing nice things like yourself for other people?

Jamie- No, not really.

Me- That sucks.

Jamie- Yeah, but I really wanna start a soup kitchen when I get out of college to help more people like him.

Me- That’s awesome!

Jamie- Yeah I can’t wait!

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My cousin is one of the nicest people I know and know that I know about this; I think she’s even nicer. If people gave out food to homeless people instead of money then they might be more grateful and maybe not as tired all the time and since they wouldn’t have to spend as much money on food they might be able to spend money trying to get a job. I think my cousin is really a true inspiration. I think if more people just did a little bit to help someone every day then the world would be a much better place.  

#6- “And no one knows, that you cry but you don't tell anyone, that you might not be the golden one. And you're tied together with a smile and you're coming undone." -Taylor Swift

           I think Taylor Swift was talking about how she and other people try to keep people from seeing how sad and vulnerable they really are because they don't want people to be able to attack them in an emotional way. Crying alone is one of the worst feelings in the world because you feel like no one cares and then the next day when you have to go to school its even worse because you have to put on a fake smile so people think that you are okay. I think the social issue this is referring to is depression. Depression is a really big social issue especially in teens because people who feel that way might be too scared to tell anyone because they don’t want everyone to know. When Taylor says that the smile is coming undone, I think she is referring to how she just can’t take it anymore and she’s given up on trying to make people think she’s okay. This line made me feel like I should just hug everyone I see because at my age, there are so many people faking smiles and I really want to make those smiles real.  

#7- Pretty Little Liars

·       Faking It

           In the movie and show business, all of the main characters that are teen girls have beautiful blonde or brown hair and always wear make up. All the girls live in small rural towns and have way too much money. All of the “normal” girls wear makeup every day and only wear expensive shirts, pants, dresses, skirts, and shoes. The only thing that is a little true in the shows, that I watch, are the family problems. These portrayals of teens make me feel angry. The people that I know live in big cities, don’t have buckets of money just laying around, and don’t wear a ton of makeup every day. Even though the stereotypes on the shows are over exaggerated for the people that I’m close too, they are not so over exaggerated for the people that I know who live in small towns. I have a few friends who live in small towns and yeah; some of the things in the TV shows are true. The girl I know wears a lot of makeup to school, has really long beautiful blond hair, wears expensive clothing everyday, but she acts nothing like the girls in the TV shows. As much as I love watching the TV shows, they help me to know that I would never wants to live the life of one of those girls. It would just be way too overwhelming. Although I would never really want to live the life of those girls that doesn’t mean I haven’t thought about what it would be like to be one of them. I know that I would not fit in at all and it would probably be a disaster. I think maybe if the girls didn’t have so much money and didn’t wear so much makeup, they could be more relatable for other girls.