Community Proposal

The Garfield Park Area

• The racial demographic is predominately black and slightly middle-class.
• I'm going to interview my grandmother, the principal of the local private school (Providence St. Mel), and a worker at the Garfield Park District.
• I think the representation is the violence and the bad part of the American Dream, theft, gangs, and more.  More fear and safety issues than working hard and succeeding, there's a war out here in Chiraq, Drillinois and most of the community is on the front line.

The American Dream

The American Dream
244 words

This article was based on the principle that the American Dream has attracted more immigrants because of the great freedom and many choices.  Although the first generation immigrants struggled when they first came to America, their children (second generation) are doing much better than their parents.  They are more educated, more socially diverse, have better jobs and pay, and own homes, unlike some of their parents.  The parents most likely came in the 1960s and their children grew up learning how America works.  The second generation is well kept and more on their feet than their guardians were when they first immigrated.

Although the American Dream is different for everyone, a lot of people come here to succeed in areas they couldn’t in their home lands.  America has freedom and more opportunities to expand your knowledge and to “start your family”.  Some immigrate to the USA because of the conditions in their countries, and they want to get away from them.  This article demonstrates the good side of the American Dream.  To each his own preference but people want to advance and do better in life.

The immigrants wanted better for their children so they moved to the U.S. and started a new life.  Their kids are grateful for what their parents did for them and are happy at the opportunities they’ve had because of it.  The percentage of successful second generation immigrants has risen because of the exposure to a better life style.

Scary Movie Review

Taken - 252 words

The movie Taken (I) was released January 30th 2009 in the United States.  It incorporates actor Liam Neeson who played a great role in the movie.  His action shots and the agility of his character provided excitement for every viewer.  Although his character was a lone father trying to reconnect and have the best relationship with his daughter, he was a very “distant” from his feelings and shows no fear.  When her daughter was kidnapped on her trip to France with a friend, he was already suspicious.  Since she had gotten on the plane, he was worried and when he got a call from her he knew what he had to do.  The suspense of all the action creates an intense perspective and makes a viewer want to keep watching.  The whole time I was watching the movie, I was nervous because of all the real and possible scenes.  Human trafficing and selling of women is an issue in many countries and causes the fear of traveling for a lot of people.  Each “chapter” of the movie shows an even more eager feeling of what’s coming next.  There was a twist when Agent Mills (Liam Neeson) found his daughter (Kim’s) jean jacket on one of the girls at a brothel construction site.  Personally, I loved each fighting scene because of his acquired skills that aided him in self healing, fighting, and search & rescue.  I was cringing the whole movie because of the reality of the situation and his love for his daughter.

Who I'm Thankful For

I'm thankful for more than one person in 5th period English but mostly Takavia Moshai Evans. She's like a sister to me and we have two class periods together. Second period Honors Chemistry with Ms. Rehak and 5th period honors English II with Mr. Locks. She helps me with class work when I ask and also makes me laugh. Her birthday just passed and it seems as if she had a lot of fun. I love her with all of my heart and she deserves the world.


Word Count: 87 words

Community Stories

The Jilting of Granny Weatherall page 848

• What is the connection between her experience of having been jilted sixty years ago and her experiences in the final paragraph?
• When Granny was jilted 60 years ago, her sweetheart George left and abandoned her, she wanted to see him to show him how well off she had been.  But when Hapsy left the room, Granny felt abandoned for a second time.  She was even more depressed and sad that she just "let life go" and blew out the light.
• In Granny's eyes, how/is the community dissolved?
• The community has "dissolved" by the respect and manners no longer being evident.  The kids aren't as nice or caring and don't go to see Granny.  The gardens weren't tended to and it made her want to plant flowers, trim hedges, and put the place to rights again.
• What is the difference between a dissolving/disappearing community versus a changing one?
• A dissolving/disappearing community doesn't have involvement in things going on around it.  It's fading into the past and new things aren't being done.  But, a changing community is just growing and becoming better than it was before.  If the community is changing for the good, then the community is advancing.

University Days page 548 (old book)

• Write about a specific way Thurber;s university classes did not live up to his expectations and one way he did not live up to their expectations,  How did these expectations form his experiences in this community?
• In the college, Thurber disappointed his Science teacher because he was not able to see any of the flower "particles" in the microscope.  He even had to retake the class because he took a pass to drop it but it was a required class to finish college.  But, in his last year, he had to do the military drills again and when he was there, the captain complimented him because he was the only one in the whole program that was walking the correct way.  Even though he wasn't very good at the sports, he passed gym by cheating and he was embarrassed because he was the only last year college student still in the military drills.  He said he had an ok time in college because of all of his struggle but then there were some factors that made it better.

Crucible Response

The Crucible was a very interesting story.  Throughout the text, I started to forget that the story was about the Salem witch trials.  I focused more on the drama than the story behind it.  Although everything was leading up to the ending, I enjoyed the parts with Elizabeth and John Proctor because of how intense their relationship was.  They truly loved and cared for each other, and in the end Elizabeth had to live on without her loving husband.  The fact that each person in the script was more focused on saving themselves than proving a point upset me.  When Abigail and the girls accused known and respected people in the town of witchcraft, they crossed the line.  But, when the other townspeople believed them, it upset me even more and caused much chaos.  Everything could have been avoided if John Proctor did not have an affair with the young girl.  She wouldn’t be infatuated, wouldn’t have run away, wouldn’t have accused others, and wouldn’t have been as disrespectful.  Everyone in the town could have listened to their gut instead of following along with everyone else.  The focus on the church in court was certainly unfair, just because you are a part of the Puritan community, doesn’t mean the court can’t be fair.  Hale was an independent mind towards the end and he tried to help the accused get free and not be killed.  Danforth was very unwilling and he wouldn’t listen to reasoning because he was so focused on God’s word and church that even if he thought something went against the commandments he wouldn’t allow it.  The overall story of The Crucible was interesting and helped me learn more about what would specifically happen during the Salem witch trials.

Words: 291

Outline

The railroads ran through much of the South Loop area, between the 1800s to present day, and provided a place for immigrants to move and create small communities to expand in later years.

      1. Railroads provided transportation to access the city better.

• Swedes, Scotts, Welsh, and Germans provided labor for the railroads and lumber industries.
• In the 1850s, railroads entering Chicago were mainly passenger and freight.
• Homes were built on Dearborn Station so more residents could move into Dearborn Park.
• Along with the railroads, many celebrities and idols helped the population of the South Loop increase.

       2. Celebrities and Idols brought politicians and fans to the area.

• Common moved into a condo in the area.
• Mayor Daley lived in the area while in office.
• Buddy Guy has a Blues' bar in the area and also his many awards bring him fans.
• Celebrities/Idols brought a larger population and wider range of people with different interests helped expand the entertainment and nightlife in the area.

       3. Entertainment and Sports bringing in people from across the country.

• College kids had a sport's bar to go to when they wanted drinks, food, and a casual place to hang out with friends while watching their favorite game.
• There are sport's games in the area, such as a Soccer Game that was at a Hotel in the South Loop.
• The music group ICE has a connection in the South Loop.

Conclusion: The railroads ran through much of the South Loop area, between the 1800s to present day, and provided a place for immigrants to move and create small communities to expand in later years.