Analysis Of Miles Corwin's And Still We Rise

Perhaps the single, most common answer to the question of the purpose of school is that it is to shape young minds in preparing them for the future. For some, school is where they go learn skills and techniques useful in the work world. For others, they are just forced to go to school, to be hassled with the burdens of overwhelming assignments, which deprive them of their ever so fulfilling social lives and other salient priorities. However, for the students in Crenshaw High School, school was a sanctuary, a safe haven; the only place where they felt accepted, worthy and optimistic. School was their only outlet where they could openly express themselves, especially in their English classes. In his work, And Still We Rise, Miles Corwin shares his one year experience with twelve students in a gifted program at Crenshaw High School, a gang dominated, dilapidated and parlous institution in South Los Angeles, California. …show more content…
Many of them were from broken homes with abusive parents or parents who were on drugs, single or unemployed. As a result of this, many students lived in foster homes, while others lived on their own. In addition to poor living conditions, was the equally poor condition of the school. “From a distance,” Corwin shares, “the school seems as if it could be in any working class neighborhood in America. But inside, the graffiti sets the school in the inner city” (p. 29). The school epitomized a 21st century trap house. The walls were marred with gang names and names of students who had been killed. The building was dilapidated and classrooms were overcrowded that some students had to sit on crates and use cardboard boxes for desks. The conditions of the school, however, did not deter the gifted students, who were hell-bent on getting a good education so they could move on to