Struggles In America In America at this time there were many struggles with racism that we encounter In the ECM James Weldon Johnson crafted a character in the ECM to show us the Struggles in America. In the ECM James made a character a protagonist without a name who was mixed to show us all the struggles America went through. The characters mother was an African American Single Parent. His father was a white man who we see one time.…
Poetry by Heart Poetry Analysis In the poem, “Somewhere in America”, written by an anonymous poet associated with the Get Lit Project, brings up the truth about issues America has faced from generation to generation. Belissa Escobedo, Rhiannon McGavin, and Zariya Allen, are the three performers that help shed light on the world we live in today and how little it’s changed. The issues that the girls cover include the hypocrisy of society and the hidden truths that people have the right to know about. More specifically, these issues are very important to the nation, yet not discussed in school. “Somewhere in America” shows its two most dominant literary devices through allusion and symbolism.…
People will do anything to win an argument. Ripping apart an argument trying to make the other person feel bad will cause tempers to flare. In her article “The Triumph of the Yell” written by Deborah Tannen, she talked about how almost everything is being argued and she is blaming journalists and politicians for feeding the flame of public arguments. In the article, Tannen talked a lot about a “culture of critique”.…
As we have developed as a society or civilization overtime, we have become more and more reliant on technology. Humorist David Sedaris, author of several collections of personal essays, and stories describes his experience with a neighboring family in “Us and Them” and how they did not have a television set. Sedaris recounts how they acted like an actual family and enjoyed spending time with one another. Sedaris provides an overarching theme that makes us all look at ourselves and how we revolve our lives around technology. Through the use of anecdotes and irony, a humorous tone, and organization of the essay, Sedaris conveys his message that technology has made us less of families and made us more greedy and anti social.…
The scarcity of resources has the potential to cause damage to modern society in the near future. Resources like food, water, and fuels help maintain society. Without proper access or enough resources to go around, society can be in for some consequences. In Jared Diamond’s essay, “The Last Americans”, he explains how the Mayan civilization collapsed due to a variety of reasons, one of which being a lack of resources. He then draws parallels to how the issue could play a role in modern society.…
After decades of persecution through sharecropping and Jim Crow laws, as well as agricultural misfortune in the American South, millions of African-Americans left the southern states in hopes for decent jobs and higher quality of life in the more urbanized, industrialized sections of the United States (“Great Migration”). All of the sudden, a whole new world of business, art, multiculturalism, intellectualism, and nightlife was in front of a people who had been held captive, both in the literal sense and the spiritual sense, by a culture that did not allow equal participation or recognition within society. The North to many African-Americans symbolized equality, freedom, and haven from the old racism of the South. Out of this new world came…
American Dream; to Some, Not What it Seemed “The Americans” by Viet Thanh Nguyen offers the distinct view of a self-contradictory America that while allows the freedom of movement towards success is also an exclusionary destructive nation. “The Americans” follows a family divided by their views of being an American as each member comes to terms with their identity and being open-minded to others’ differences. “The Americans” shows that America can be a place where people of all different backgrounds can live freely and work their way to success. James Carver grew up as a black man in Alabama constantly having to deal with racism and the feeling of non-belonging. Carver struggled with his identity until he found his place as an aerial bomber in the US Army.…
And Still We Rise by Miles Corwin 1) In this book there was two teachers, Toni Little and Anita Moultrie. These two teachers had different styles of teaching their class. One way of teaching that really popped out at me was how Toni assigned an essay to the class to see the difference in writing of the student. This way she would be able to see which students were dedicated to school or which ones where just there to be there and not even pay attention.…
With their witty and compelling book “Our America,” LeAlan and Lloyd show how the voices of underrepresented African Americans contribute significantly to our understanding about American racial relationship. I want to deliver their political messages to both the authorities and the general audience. By presenting double-meaning songs which could be absorbed in various depth level, my soundtrack will illuminate both the book’s main theme of reality, hope, inequality and give voices to African Americans. The themes of reality and hope appear inside the innocent narration of LeAlan and Lloyd about their lives in Ida B. Wells.…
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.…
The California Department of Education requires high school students to take one course of U.S. history in order to graduate and move onto college (California Department of Education). These classes often explore the histories of the living or, more famously put, the winners. However, many American history courses fail to mention the effects of settler colonialism on racialized groups, specifically the Native Americans, resulting in the deletion of their existence and stories. Through her memoir Bad Indians, Deborah Miranda thoroughly brings forth the continuous oppression and experiences of Native Americans by revising the version of U.S. history that many are taught with her counter-narrative, which brings a new perspective and more knowledge…
America Is In The Heart by Carlos Bulosan starts with Carlos’ dad plowing their fields in their barrio as Carlos thinks he sees what looks to be his brother, Leon, who was believed to be in Europe fighting in the war. The man is Leon, who Carlos hadn’t seen since he was a young child. At the time of 1913 the Philippines was going through radical social change. Farmers are filling the rural areas while the younger generation is in a movement of change in their homeland. The farm is only thing keeping Carlos’ family afloat.…
The “Letter To America” includes Margaret Atwood’s opinions of America and how it has gone downhill since she was a child. She claims we have “gutted the Constitution” and “torched the economy” in her attempts at providing an explanation of why America is on the down-slope. However, Margaret Atwood’s letter fails to accurately depict America as a country and illustrate both the recent and prior affairs in which we have participated in. In her letter, Atwood never uses definite facts or details that can not be argued to be in favor of the opposition.…
To me Jhumpa Lahiri’s story about her struggle to mingle into American society, coming from an Indian background, is very much similar. To really experience and to get know what she felt like one should really have been through that and been to places where no one is concerned about your existence. Well, if you ask me, I have been through it many times and every time I got into that situation, it felt like I was doomed and was on the cusp of choking myself for some reason. I bet, growing up, everyone has witnessed something like this at least once. It is really hard especially if you’re an outsider because people often tend to alienate you.…
Throughout the ages of art, there have been many an odd character. Likely the most well-known skew ball would be Van Gogh, an artist who is widely renowned for lobbing off his own ear and painting the Starry Night. However, he was not the first nor will be the last to become famous off questionable behavior. For example, Joseph Beuys. After some exposure to the tragedies of life, he began to share his point of view through a series of performances and painting style expositions.…