According to a recent article in the latest issue of upfront magazine, israel is planning to ban the use of the word,”nazi”. There will be fines for anyone who does not use the word for educational purposes. I personally understand the effect this group has had on the general population of israel and do not believe this is a word to be thrown around lightly. However, i do not believe it should be banned either. Banning any word or phrase is destroying free speech. An argument for the ban is that many young people have been using the word in insults and have been using it to lightly. I feel though that the ban would only make the insult more popular and often used. It would be a rebellious thing to do and all you would have to do to say the word is make sure no authority is around. This would cause the word to expand in popularity among teenagers and destroy the purpose of the ban in the first place. An idea i would suggest is a program to be set in place to teach young people how serious the root of the word is and why they shouldn't use it.

I dont know where to start to write this sonnet

I do not say thou nor thee i am not fancy

But I heard you can do anything if you really want it.

If I make this sonnet i'll say it can't be

My teacher said I must do this for homework

It was given monday but i did it last minute

I did this because i would rather do no work

I simply can’t believe I’m kind of near the finish

Now i'm on the last line I’m sad we’re out of time

Not really i get to go watch tv i’ll be fine.

Sam Griffith 813

Martin Espada’s poems  often tell examples of disrespect towards the latino culture. Espada’s Poem, “Revolutionary Spanish Lesson,” tells of everyday disregard to the integrity of latino culture. “The New Bathroom Policy at English High School,” paints a picture of a rather strange incident in where the principal of a public school had banned spanish. “Two Mexicanos Lynched in Santa Cruz, California, May 3, 1877,” gave light to the simply appalling story of two Mexicanos being lynched by a group of vigilante gringos for the sole reason of their race.  

“Revolutionary spanish lesson,” shows a minor everyday level of disrespect. “Whenever my name is mispronounced…” Espada then goes on to tell a detailed description of torture he wishes he could practice on the americans that disrespect his background by mispronouncing his name. This poem is meant to make you, the reader, feel the everyday frustration of living in a country with people who do not have enough respect for your culture to even pronounce your name right.

“The New Bathroom Policy at English High School,” gives an example of a major disrespect instilled by a powerful authoritative figure. A principal of an american school has banned spanish while the kids are on the school premises.  The poem has a theme of power shifts, In the introduction to the poem the kids have the power. The principal feels uncomfortable, constipated even, in the fact that he does not understand the student’s conversation. Afterwards, the principal has the power as he has banned spanish, “Now he can relax.”

“Two Mexicanos Lynched in Santa Cruz, California, May 3, 1877,” Portrays the story of the utmost disrespect. Two Mexicanos are Murdered at the amusement of a gang of vigilante gringos for only their amusement. “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 photograph.” This poem is meant to make you feel disgusted, outraged, and possibly ashamed, it is meant to show you a depressing look into the past and give you advice into the near future.

       

Martin Espada’s poems have a general theme of disrespect towards latino culture. They reveal everyday struggles of an individual of a minority ethnic group, for example, “Revolutionary Spanish Lesson.” They convey tales of oppression from authoritative power, Shown in, “The New Bathroom Policy at English High School.” His poems can even demonstrate the extremes of murder towards certain ethnic groups for the sole purpose of entertaining bigots. As expressed in“Two Mexicanos Lynched in Santa Cruz, California, May 3, 1877.”   

To Kill a Mockingbird 

In the book, To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee, the protagonist, Scout, lives in a small southern town during the Depression. In this small southern town there is a widely know legend that there is a man named Boo Radley that lives in a basement, eats cats and has stabbed his father with a pair of scissors. Scout, her brother Jem and their friend Dill are equally terrified and intrigued by this shady character, so when the day comes that Boo gives Scout a blanket (without them noticing) while waiting for a fire to shimmer down on a cold winter night, they are nothing short of flabbergasted. The lesson of this encounter with Boo was that Scout should treat Boo less like an animal, and more like a human being. Scout should know that there is nothing sinister about giving a blanket to a girl in the cold. 

The deeper theme behind this lesson is not to judge a book by its cover. Boo is a good example, but there are many others. Another example is that Scout’s father, Atticus, is a lawyer supporting a black man. In order to win the case Atticus will have to make the jury treat the man like any other human being. This theme was also shown in the beginning of the book when a boy was treated like dirt because of the poverty of his family, but when Atticus had a conversation with the boy he treated him with respect. 

“Al Capone shines my shoes” by Gennifer Choldenko 

The main character of the story lives on Alcatraz, the jailhouse island that houses famous criminals such as machine gun Kelly, one arm willy and of course the deadly mobster Al Capone. On Alcatraz there is a very distinct, rich and different culture. One example of their unique culture is that they call the isle in the middle of the prison cells “Broadway” and the metal detector in front of the entrance to the island “the snitch box”. This has a very major impact on the main character “Moose” and all of the other aspects of this rich and exciting story. After all Moose wouldn't have Al Capone out to kill him if he didn't live on Alcatraz.

This wouldn't have happened if Moose hadn't asked for Capone’s help to get his sister into a special school via his shirt pocket that he sent into the islands convict laundry mat. Now Capone wants his part of the deal. Because of the story’s unique setting Moose has fallen into this deep problem.

Another example of how the setting affects the story is that there is a tension between one of his friends on the island and another that lives on the mainland. They are very different and in some ways and end up fighting for Moose’s attention. If there lived near each other and not a ferry ride away thy come to like each other. Or at least live with each other. Also, since this boy has lived on Alcatraz his whole life he does not play baseball. The boy from the mainland does. Again the Alcatraz culture has created yet another conundrum. 

The book Little Brother Cory Doctorow is a cautionary tale. It is afraid of the advancements in technology and how it could affect society. It details how it believes extreme security could destroy education.

At Cesar Chavez high there are cameras that detect and track people’s distinct walks. The school gives computers to each student, but their web history and the programs they use are monitored. The rebels of the story use tactics like putting gravel in their shoes to change their walk to avoid the surveillance. This does not take place in a far off time, the only real difference between this time and our time is that the technology is slightly more advanced.

I find it interesting that this story does not act as if the government is the one surveilling people beyond their privacy. contrary to most cautionary tales involving extreme surveillance  the government takes steps in the opposite direction. They outlaw cameras that use facial recognition technology in schools.

Vietinamerica

In vietnameria you hear the perspective of many people. It is easy to tell when you are hearing from a new character. Each new character brings a new element to the story and rushes you with new emotions.  

When the story will switch to a new perspective the drawing style will change, as well as the font in which the dialog is presented. This gives you a clear idea of the voice and tone of each character.

The story focuses on many characters, with Thi Mot the pictures will be graceful and the dialog will be in characteristic cursive. While we hear from the prespective of Tri Tron the lines are rough, straigtened, darkened and rigid. The dialog is a strong bold print.

After ever After Sam Griffith

Blog post

Sam Griffith

After ever after

In After ever After, there is clearly a group separate from the rest of the world. The book details cancer patient’s separation from the world. It talked of how people who were outside of the patient bubble reacted to them and how they treated them. It also explained how having cancer affects you and separates you from the rest of the world.

People seem to be scared of Jeffrey and his best friend Tad. They have both been though chemo therapy and survived cancer. Now they are treated almost like a time bomb, at any minute they become deadly and explosive. Family members look at them differently and are more cautious around them. Kids at school are always giving strange sympathetic looks. People are afraid of offending them for any reason. Because of this they get special perks. When they miss homework teachers will let it slide, athletes take pictures with them, and celebrities give signatures and shake their hands. However, very few people want to hang out with a kid who has gone through cancer and could experience all over again.

Cancer also affects you as an individual. Tad is a prime example. All of the harsh and scaring procedures tad has left him in a wheel chair. More importantly, it has left him cynical and sarcastic. He makes crude comments and harshly judges and teases the people around him.  He makes fun of songs written about cancer that are supposed to support him. He has become a salty and stale mess. He makes fun of his best, and only, friend.

You learn from After ever After that cancer creates separate groups of people. While the whole world fears cancer patients and pushes them away, some cancer patients fear the world and push themselves away. 

Social Justice

Social Justice:

Observing My Neighborhood:

I have recently moved into a new neighborhood. Within the first month of living here, my brother and I discovered a basketball court only two blocks away. My brother convinced me to take him to the court even though I am terrible at basketball. We played for ten minutes or so until a boy who looked the same age as me asked if he could play with us. Let’s call him Jeff. For the next hour we played an intense game, my brother and Jeff against me. Needless to say, they beat me. Jeff made sure my seven year old brother got some action by passing to him and stopping me from blocking his shots. Billy wanted to ride his scooter and I needed a break, so the Jeff and I sat on the bench. Jeff then reached into his bag and pulled out a blunt. He didn’t offer it to me, he didn’t give me a sample, he didn’t even mention he was smoking, he just asked what school I went to. We talked for another few minutes and he told us stories about the teachers at his school and laughed at mine. However, in fear that my brother would question him about what was between his fingers, I called my brother over and we went back to the house. This was not the first encounter with marijuana that I had expected. While, I understood that not all encounters would be like this one, and that I stay away from experimenting with drugs myself, it made me question how people who do experiment are treated. I don’t think I would have played basketball with Jeff If he had walked into the park blowing smoke into the air. Maybe I shouldn’t. I am still undecided on this issue and am not sure which side to take on this issue. My neighborhood has welcomed my family and I, even if we are a minority. Although SOME of them may have questionable habits I believe that in my neighborhood everyone is treated equally. I wonder if I need to work on how equally I treat people.

Quoting a Lyric:

“And Lord knows she's beautiful

 Lord knows the usual Leaving a body sore

 She take the little change she make To fix her nail cuticles

Lipstick is suitable To make you fiend for more

She play Mr. Shakur

That's her favorite rapper

Bumping ‘Brenda's Got A Baby’ While a pervert yelling at her

And she capture features of a woman

But only 17, the 7 cars start honkin'

She start running like FLo-Jo Don't care if they Joe Blow

If they got money to blow a blow job is a sure go

And sure enough don't see a dime of dirty dollars

She give all to her daddy but she don't know her father, that's ironic See a block away from Lueders park I seen the El Camino parked In her heart she hate it there, but in her mind she made it where Nothing really matters, so she hit the back seat Rosa Parks never a factor when she making ends meet”

-Kendrick Lamar

This is a quote from, “Keisha’s song,” by Kendrick Lamar on the album Section 80. The purpose of this song was to tell a cautionary tale of a young woman who turns into a prostitute in Compton. After he had finished recording the song he played it for his eleven year old sister, this way his way of warning her to never become a prostitute. The line, “She play Mr. Shakur That's her favorite rapper bumping "Brenda's Got A Baby" While a pervert yelling at her,” tells the listener a lot. “Mr. Shakur” also known as 2pac had a song entitled, “Brenda’s got a Baby." This song is about a girl who was murdered as a prostitute after being shunned by her family at a young age, another cautionary tale. The fact that Keisha plays that song shows that she knows of the danger but feels as if there is no other way to go and has to resort to prostitution. The line, “Nothing really matters, so she hit the back seat Rosa Parks never a factor when she making ends meet,” is also an important line. Rosa Parks stood up for equal rights and refused to sit in the back of the bus, Keisha throws her rights and the window and settles into the backseat to do her job. By the end of the song Keisha ends up dead and raped in the street. It is a heavily impactful and tragic ending. Was Keisha treated equally? Is it justified to treat her as a sex object? No, yet a large portion of the hip hop community may think differently. However, you can see from songs like, “Brenda’s got a baby,” and the one which I have quoted today that not all rappers and hip hop fans feel this way, and are taking a stand against misogynistic activity towards women.       

Interview:

To get a view of the younger generation I interviewed my seven year old brother, Billy.

If you could change the world, what would you do?

“I would make the world bouncy”

Why?

“It’s fun to bounce”

If you could change our neighborhood what would you do?

“I would turn our neighborhood into ice cream”

What is your opinion on the wars going on?

“War is bad because people die and babies cry”

What do you think about Martin Luther King?

“Oh my god, Sam! Did you know that Martin Luther King is the best person ever? It’s true. He changed the black and white just by talking! He talked to the black, he talked the white and everything worked out. And then they got used to each other. If it wasn’t for him I wouldn’t know my best friend.”

Changing the World:

I decided to ask my dad, a teacher.

How long have you been teaching?

13 years

How many students have you taught?

Nearly 1000

How do you change the world?

Every teacher has a story of helping a child realize their potential. By doing this you change the world, more importantly you change the child’s world.

One example of a child my father helped took place in east New York. My father had one student who was very wild. She would get into fights, disrupt class and throw things across the room. She received a failing grade on her ELA and math state tests. For this her mother held her back and made her repeat 6^th grade. Her mother loved her very much, however her mother was addicted to drugs. Her family (including her, her mother, and her three younger siblings) lived in a shelter. She had to get the kids dressed, make them breakfast, take them to school, and bathe them when they got home. She had to be the adult of the house. In her second year she was determined to improve. My father made a plan with her; he worked with her during lunch and prep periods. That year she got a 3 on her ELA test and a 4 on her Math test. She has recently called my father saying she was the first one in her family to make it to college and that her 2^nd 6^th grade year was a turning point in her academic life.  

Article:

The article, “The Scars of Stop and Frisk,” talks of a young black man who has been stopped over 70 times. He said, “If you are young and you’re black, it doesn’t matter what you are wearing, you fit the description.” He has been taken in because he asks why they are stopping him. Hey says that they keep you for 8 hours and then at 4:00 in the morning they let you out the back door. One man said that he had a checklist he went over every time a police car is behind him. He thinks of what he is doing, where he is keeping his hands, what he is going to say to the officer. This means this man is scared of the police. This is the most unjust thing about stop and frisk, It has made innocent people afraid of the police. If you are innocent you should feel protected by the police. If you are innocent you should not be in constant fear of being arrested. This is the most degrading and terrible aspect of New York City.

Advertisement:

This is a recent ad from britney spears for candie, a clothing company.

It has been edited so that she appears thinner than she actually is. Also spots on her leg have been removed. This makes a standard that is nearly impossible. No one can hope to be as thin and as perfect as the women in these ads. It creates a false standard that girls can live up to, as a result girl’s self-esteem is lowered, and because they want to be like the women in the ads the girls buy the products the photo shopped women are advertising. It is social injustice to lower someone’s self-esteem for a profit.

Watching the News:

Today in the news I heard of a hearing in Manhattan. The hearing was on racial profiling allegations at Macy’s and Barneys. Apparently multiple black men have been stopped after buying designer shirts and ties. Barneys and Macys made public statements saying that they do not racially profile anyone and do not base who they accuse of shoplifting based on their race. If I was a Macy’s representative I would be very concerned about what happened. I would fire whoever had given the order to stop the men. I would be upset that this had not been stopped the first time it had occurred.    

 Social Justice in movies:

Teens are represented differently throughout the movies. I chose an average movie that included, “average,” suburban American teens. I chose Grown Ups 2. In Grown ups the teens were diverse; there were both black and white teens. For the most part suburban teens acted as they normally do. the movie hid some aspects of teen life, such as experiments with drugs or sex but this was a kids movie and supposed to be family friendly. If you want to see these aspects of teen life there are many movies that do so. I feel like the film industry has come a long way by becoming more diverse and by not discriminating anyone based on their race. In addition, there are many movies that tell the uncensored stories of teens in my generation.     

Ned Vizzini

I have just began, "teen angst? naaah..."an autobiography by Ned Vizzini and i have already fallen in love in the main character. I am so interested in this character because I can relate to him. I can relate to him as a New York City teen, and as a NYC student.

Ned talks about his experiences at Stuyvesant high school. Right of the bat I can sympathize with him when he begins to discuss the commute to school. He talks about riding the subway and managing his time while waiting for the train to pull into the station. Considering talking to the passengers after all reading is out of the question, you could start to lose your balance and bump into some uptight business lady. These are all experiences i have had before.

Ned also explains his role as a student in the impressive school that is Stuyvesant. He takes a quote from one of his teachers who said that you could live two of three options at stuy, popularity, good grades, or sleep. Ned himself chose grades and sleep. Occasionally I feel this way as well. I feel that my social life and academic life are ripping my personalty and sleep schedule in half.

I love "teen angst? naaah..." by Ned Vizzini and cant put it down. I am so devoted to this book because of the readability. It just feels as though he has lived trough the same NYC teen experiences as i have so far.      

protest of banning books

Dear Ms. Berner, I have heard a rumor that you are considering pulling a few YA fiction books from the shelves in MS51. I sincerely hope you don’t do this. YA Books help kids get though rough times by relating to their problems. For some kids these books may be to intense, if that is so they can put the book down and find another one. YA books don’t just help the kids who are addicted to substances or have been abused by parents but it helps kids that are, “privileged,” with their problems as well. 

Sherman Alexie, author of the great book The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian has said his book helped one girl go from being a hopeless teen mother to a woman who was heading to college with a three-year-old child. It inspired her to not give up on her dreams, even if others had. The book can help others know that no matter where you come from you can make yourself a good life doing what you love. There are cases like this all over the world. Many authors have mentioned that their books helped people get though rough times and in certain situations save lives. You wouldn’t want a life saving book of the shelves would you.

I understand there are some students that cannot handle the issues that are exposed with detail in these books. If this is the case they can move on. “If you don’t want your kids to read a book fine, don’t let them, but do not choose what is right for everyone else, says author Ellen Hopkins. If you believe your child should not be reading this book, because it is too dark or too harsh, don’t deprive other kids from an exciting read who needs the help and support this book can provide. The kids who are intimidated or scared by these YA novels will put them down immediately anyway, causing them no harm, the harm that could be caused here is if the kids who need them don’t read them.

I can’t think of many drug addicts or pregnant mothers at our school. So some people may think, “then who needs these books?

” There are many kids who need these books. There may be some that have less obvious problems, but these problems are still important and still can be solved with certain YA books. Sherman Alexie told of how a kid who attended private school with rich parents it would seem that he had a perfect life. Although he too got much needed comfort from Alexie’s book. The book was about a kid who lived in a run down poverty-ridden reservation, although this, “privileged,” child related to what Alexie had written. He related to the main character’s plight of feeling as though his life had been chosen for him.  The boy wanted to be a writer but his dad was forcing him to be in the army. Alexie’s book taught kids to follow their own paths and thus supported children’s issues concerning their future.

Anne Fine, a critically acclaimed English author, made a good point in the article, “Age-rated books: Right or wrong?” She mentioned that there are many other medias that provide this content for the youth. This is important because if you censor books that it could be possible that kids would ignore reading book, and only listen to music or watch movies. If we censor these YA texts, than kids may turn to other forms of media to immerse themselves in a great story. This would result in kids reading less and less and losing overall interest in books.  Therefore, losing the support, hope and entertainment that can be found in YA literature.

You can see that these books are extremely important and cannot be taken off the shelves. I hope you consider this letter in creating your decision, because literature is vital to a child’s education and wellness. This is because these more mature and extreme stories will relate to kids problem and help them get out of their seemingly hopeless situation. YA fiction literature helps everyone get though tough times and kids who cant handle it will censor what they read themselves or with the help of their parents.     

Racing in the Rain

Racing in the Rain

Sam Griffith

813

The book Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein is about an edgy race car driver, Denny, his family, and most of all, the narrator himself, his dog named Enzo. Denny goes though many life wrecking experiences but manages to stay in control, He does this by being with his loved ones and by exercising his passion.

At one point in the book Denny’s wife catches cancer. As you would expect this is an incredibly horrible time for Denny. He is does his best to survive this tragedy by staying with his dog, and his daughter. Enzo tells of how Denny comforts his daughter but Enzo feels that Denny is comforting himself as well. He feels better when he is with his daughter he feels like his wife is still with him and that there are still loved ones involved in his life. So when his daughter is taken away from him by his in laws he spirals into drunken dazes. Staring into space feeling horrible. The fear of being alone is stressed in this book. At one point Enzo is left at home for a few weeks and ends up hallucinating about demons in Denny’s Daughter’s stuffed animals. This just shows that smaller fears become humongous and unavoidable when you are left by yourself.

The other way Denny eases the pain around him is by indulging in his passion. Race car driving. He says to Enzo that when he is in the drivers seat he forgets about everything else. He just thinks about the race. He is calm and focused and rarely looks back. He is free on the racetrack, free of his problems and fears when he is behind the wheel. He is an expert of racing in the rain, you could a comparison saying that while he was driving his problems are like rain drops, small drops of water that have no impact as Denny speeds around the track.

The book Racing in the Rain tells readers that you will not be able to get though tough times yourself. You will need love ones to stay with when the going gets tough. And if you don’t have that you will need a passion that can make you forget your troubles, and race though the slippery rain covered track like it’s a sunny  summer day.   

Sam Griffith

The Lost Boy

813

The Major theme of the book entitled The Lost Boy by Dave Pelzer is that an abuse parent impacts the child for life. It shows the many effects the abuse relationship Dave Pelzer, the author, had with his mother. It explains how Dave always had a dark fear of his mother waiting to punish him. It also shows how after he had been separated from his mother he still felt extremely guilty for things that may or may not have been his fault.

After Dave had been taken from his former family to leave his abusive past behind him he still feared his mother. When he was at the hospital getting his bruises checked out every 5 minutes he would stick his head out the window to check if his mother was there to steal him back. At one point he had nearly gained confidence in himself, but that was before his mother gave him a visit. “I’ll get you back,” She said. Those words haunted Dave even though he knew perfectly well he was safe. He had been brainwashed to think no matter what he did he would end up being severely and harshly punished.

Another long lasting impacts of his mothers abuse, Dave was always overly guilty of things that where unimportant. An example of this when he foster mother happily greats him, saying, “So, how are you feeling today?” He responded fine, then quickly panicked and asked, “Did I do something wrong? Am I in trouble.” He had been brainwashed to believe he was always being a bad boy, always in trouble. And this still affected him while being treated wonderfully by his new foster mother.

            In the book The Lost Boy horrible and depressing story is told. The Dave Pelzer tries to tell the reader that no matter how happy and free you feel, if you had been abused by a parent, you will always feel trapped and abandoned. If you had been brainwashed to always feel as though you were unworthy this feeling will follow you throughout your life.