The Justice of Disregarding (Martin Espada Essay)

                  There are multiple ways to convey justice; for Martin Espada its writing poems. Martin Espada is Latino poet who writes political justice poems. He bases his poems on what he has seen and has heard. He has delightful way of bringing justice to Latino community through his poems. Some of his poems, like The New Bathroom Policy at English High School, Revolutionary Spanish Lesson and Two Mexicans Lynched… has the reader how disregard on anyone’s part can affect others near and far.

                     The poem The New Bathroom Policy… is about how a principal sets a new policy that demands no one speaks Spanish in the bathrooms.  This happens when he catches students talking about him in Spanish.  For example, “…this constipates him/ so he decides/ to ban Spanish in the bathroom” That policy is absurd because just because he is worried that student talk about does not mean he gets to take away a way for them to communicate. Spanish may just be the language that the students are comfortable with. Because the principal was neglecting and used his power to make life easier for himself, many students have now lost their voices because of it. This poem portrays that disregard can affect the way people are, part and whole. 

                      The poem Revolutionary Spanish Lesson is about person’s thoughts when they hear their name being mispronounced. For example, he wants to “…hijack a busload/ of Republican tourists/ from Wisconsin.” This is witty because when one thinks of Republicans, stereo-typically they think of a state like Wisconsin. And (stereo-typically speaking) people from Wisconsin probably won’t care about how someone else’s name is pronounced; they’ll just say it the way they think it’s pronounced. It also shows that people are ignorant of how others feel about themselves. The slight of a person really brings down their self esteem. This poem depicts how disregard can really change who a person is, mentally and emotionally.

                        The poem Two Mexicanos Lynched is about gringos taking matters into their own hands and killing Mexicans. The gringos in the end are “crowding into a photograph.” This is beyond not noticing. This is just evil. These Gringos thought they were vigilantes, they thought they were justice, and they thought they handled the law. They thought killing someone was something to be boastful of. This prejudice against Mexicans is infinity times beyond sick. To hand by their neck and the worst things is this had been done numerous times before that they had slaughter house. This is the ignorance and the worst kind of ignorance… because this kind of disregard can’t differ between right and wrong.

                  

                     Disregard means lack of noticing and full of neglecting. Which means the principal was being disregarding other’s feelings and their voice. The Republicans from Wisconsin may just disregard culture and variety in race, languages and pronunciations. The gringos went all out in Santa Cruz, California in 1877 and went and murdered several Mexicans. These are forms of bullying. It happened in 1877 and it’s happening now. Whether it’s of religion, culture, race, height, etc.  Whatever the case, bullies need to feel better about them selves by disregarding how they've treated others. This can be stopped. If one doesn't let a bully hurt, who can? An option is to write political justice poems, that how Martin Espada probably cools down. After all, he is the one who said “Even the most political poem is an act of faith.” Test your faith by fighting back and regarding what is significant to your life. 

Virtuosity

I have just read a book called Virtuosity by Jessica Martinez. It is about this girl named Carmen who plays violin very well. She is entering a competition to go on tour as a violinist. She develops some romantic feelings for her competition (Jeremy) and her mom doesn't approve. And there is drug addiction to anti- anxiety pills. This changes her perspective on things and she has to decide: does she want to this competition like her mom has always wanted for her or does want to do something different? I think there are a lot of issues in this book but the two most important are family problems and romance.

Carmen takes drugs to calm her nerves down for any big event. However, this doesn't bother her mom. Her mom is more like her manager than a mom. Sure, Carmen gets into fights with her because she is controlling and over-protective. Her mom even bribed the judges with money to have her as a finalist in the competition. A lot of moms, in real life, don’t understand their daughters’ puberty years. When the girls have mood swings or are taking drugs. Moms think whatever they’re doing is the best for their daughter and they don’t even think to ask. Is this okay? Are you alright with the decision I’m making? Never heard those questions from my mom. I think Carmen’s issue is the fact that her mom does what she thinks best and I bet those are a girl’s top issue in life.

Carmen, throughout the book, had fallen for Jeremy King. He riles her up, making her mad, insulting her but he also understands her. He challenges her not on violin but on life. He is the reason she changes so much throughout the book. She starts out so determined to hate him she doesn't even know she loved him until the very end. It’s a wonder that yet she calls him names and he makes her spitting mad, he cares. He knows the pressure she is going through, and he has even worse situations back home. For many girls that is hard to find someone who can make them feel so much at once. It is hard find someone who challenges them yet understands them. It is like looking for your own Mr. Darcy but you have to go through so much to find him. That it is also one Carmen’s issues in life.

Carmen has another issue in between these two issues. Her mom doesn't like her crushing on competition and Jeremy doesn't like her controlling Carmen’s life. Things get so bad that’s she has to sneak out to see him and hide it from her mom. She even gets her tutor into trouble in the process. Her mom grounds her but something that really gets her angry is when her mom bribes the judges. They choose her instead of Jeremy and that really makes her leave the house. I think Carmen’s mom thought if Carmen made the finals she would loose her interest in him.

Carmen has big issues in her life, love and mommy. But I think even at the end of the book, she finds a way to balance things out. Especially her mom and Jeremy and all the drama that was going on in her life.

Matched

RR#9 - RR#9 (edit)

by 712 Areebah

description

Matched

genre

Select

stats

Published on 2013-05-27

RR#9 (edit)

Chapter 1   —   Updated May 27, 2013   —   4,366 characters

1 comment ·

The book, “Matched”, by Ally Condie” is a very interesting read. It is about a girl who lives in a society that chooses who you love, where you work, and when you die. So when Cassia is matched with her best friend Xander, she is happy. But on her micro card she gets another choice, another match, and another person she could live the rest of her life with. It’s Ky Markham. As the book goes on she chooses what is right and wrong. She has to choose between Ky and Xander. Matched teaches us, even if society doesn’t give a choice, life does and it’s up to you which path to choose in the end.

Life gives you choices everyday, but for Cassia, society gave her a choice of a life time. For example, on page 35, “My heart stops and I can’t believe what I see. A face comes back to view on the port in front of me. It’s not Xander.” At this point of the book, Cassia is has just found out her perfect best friend was to be her match. But presented with another match, she wonders if society made a mistake. She can’t have two choices. Perfect Xander and quiet mysterious Ky. But who was she to challenge society? She tells no one, maybe afraid to go against society because she has always done what society asked of her. This is the start this huge choice. It is a something life gave her and now she has to make her choice. This scene shows me how unexpected a choice could be. It could be an everyday thing. For example, an easy way out of homework is not doing it and then doing it all at zero period later or not being lazy and doing my homework and not having to deal with consequences of not getting it done.

After a lot analyzing, Cassia is at cross roads. For example on page 213, “My hands ache to reach for him. But I can’t bring myself to betray Xander.” Cassia realizes she is falling for Ky but she can’t do anything about it. how can she risk the friendship she has Xander, especially when he loves her the way she can’t love him back. If she chooses Ky, she her life will be difficult for he is an outcast in society. If she chooses Xander, she will be doing what is expected of her but she will never be truly happy. This is the part of the process where she chooses who she wants. Being at cross roads is not a bad thing, it just eases things out. There are pros and cons in both paths. This scene shows me how hard it really to make a choice. It’s easy to procrastinate. And people who just decide right away probably will hate the result of their choice.

Telling the truth is probably hard. Cassia experiences that first hand. For example page 327, “I think I’m falling in love with someone else.’ I speak softly. I almost can’t hear my own voice. But Xander understands.” There it is! The moment of truth. Cassia has made her choice. She is picking the road with obstacles with the outcast she loves. Unfortunately Xander doesn’t take this well. There is no right or wrong with any choice. She chose the road with obstacles but all those obstacles will prove her love true in the end. What I learned from this scene is that it’s hard it is to finalize the choice you made .for example, if I personally don’t something for homework, I stay up all night thinking about it. Maybe because there’s lots of guilt involved in it in this choosing process, no matter what you pick, you’ll always wonder what if I had made that choice. How would my life be like?

All in all, choices lead up to life’s biggest moments. “Matched” by Ally Condie, teaches us Life gives you choices, and even if society doesn’t support it, it’ll only ever be up to you to decide the outcome. I think it would have worked either way for Cassia. Maybe she wants to be a rebel. She has been tied down by society for so long; it makes sense why she didn’t want to be with Xander in the end. Something about falling in love with Ky probably showed her she was her own person, allowed to make her own choices. I think this happens in the real world too. Sometimes my parents set the strictest limitations for me and I just want to break lose and show them I’m an individual, not every other south Asian girl. All of us should be lucky that life gives us choices. Without them it would be a pretty boring life without unexpected surprises. These choices make things happen. And it’s up to us to choose which path to take

Better not to be a lady

I am reading the book Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte. It is about this orphaned girl named Jane Eyre and how she goes about living her life as she grows up and falls in love. A trait of hers is she talks a lot and that usually has to do with standing up for her self because she has no one in this world that cares for her.

         For example, on page 5, her cousin, John, is about to hurt her and she says, “You wicked and cruel boy. You are like a murderer- you are like a slave- driver; you are like the Roman Emperors.” She says this because she hasn't done anything to him but yet he taunts and hurts her. I think she is brave to stand up for herself even though she gets hurt.

         Another example is on page 31 she is leaving for boarding school. She tells her aunt, Ms.Reed, how she really feels. “ … I shall remember how you thrust me back roughly and violently… into the red room and locked up there to my dying day.... And that punishment you made me suffer because your wicked boy – struck me , knocked me down for nothing….” I think because she is still suffering of what john did to her and the fact that she is leaving, she finally can tell her aunt that how horrible her son is. How she feels about him, and how she thinks he is stupid.

          Also on page 31, Jane tells her aunt “I am glad you are no relation of mine. I will never call you aunt again as long as I live. I will never come to see you when I am grown up; and if anyone asks how I liked you and, and how you treated me, I will say the very thought of you makes me sick, and that you treated me with miserable cruelty.” She stands up to aunt with such rebelliousness that her aunt goes into shock. I think it was courageous of her to stand up to her aunt after so many years of abuse. That it was brave to stand up to her especially when her aunt has so much control over Jane and Jane’s life.

            A lady is a person who is graceful. A lady is a person who doesn't talk back or have habits. A lady is a person so admired and soft looking, even when she is not most attractive she has everyone stunned and in awe. Jane, when she is young, is most certainly not a lady. She talks back to her eldest cousins and her aunt. In the 1800’s, when this book was written, girls were to be seen and not heard. And yet with Jane it is the exact opposite. She is heard much more than she wants too be seen by people. And most of it is because she is very defensive of herself and she actually stands up for herself like with John and her aunt. Jane Eyre reminds me so much of myself. She is so rebellious (very subtle), but she goes against common nature. Where I come from, the tradition of being a “lady” is still in effect. I am being scolded by aunts and my mother. Apparently I am not behaving like the “lady” I’m supposed to be, whatever that means. But I count on never changing for the rest of my life. Jane Eyre teaches you that, standing up for yourself instead looking like a fool just taking insults, may be better than being a lady.

Beautiful Boy

The book Beautiful Boy by David Sheff is about a memoir about a father’s journey through his son’s drug addiction, and how he tries to help his son, Nic. In this book, it’s kind of a comparison on how Nic used to be before meth and he started using meth. This story may have needed Nic’s thoughts through out the book. I think it would have been interesting to show Nic’s side of the fight through this book.

         In this book, Sheff talks about his son’s on going therapy and drug use. He talks about how different therapists had helped his son change for a period of time. He had said that one therapist had Nic feeling good about him self and signing him up for teams, strengthening his school work. He tells of the conversations he had with Nic and that helps the reader imagine the kind of boy Nic is. For example, reading about Nic and knowing about his childhood my thoughts have come to this: Nic is a fun loving boy, wants to excel at school, and wants to maintain responsibilities. But why did he get arrested? Why was he in rehab? Addiction, as I have learned is a scary thing. I'm guessing that stopping is hard, the wanting to stop but you can’t seem to push yourself to stop. It feels that way with my use of internet. I can never get bored. I can for hours on end without having to stop. Nic’s addiction is probably the feeling meth gives to you. Addiction is something people turn their nose at but no one ever really knows the hardship of it. I feel worried for Nic as the book progresses.  Sheff has given me several thoughts on this problem all by giving me detail into Nic’s life.

       You wonder about Nic, about this addiction he has. It makes me think of what he was thinking that gotten him into this mess. Was it peer pressure or was it curiosity?  This is why I think the book, as amazing as it is, should also have Nic’s point of view. What did he feel when was forced into rehab would good to know. I want to how this compromised his close relationship to his father, step mom, and his half siblings. And what about his other set of parents? It seemed to me that David was paying, working hard for all of Nic’s treatments. Did Nic not tell his mom on purpose, scared to tell her? Honestly, maybe knowing how nic felt, why he acted the way he acted, gives some insight on his struggles, and battles.

       This book challenges one to see how a small decision can change our way of life and how it affects the future. It shows us not to give up on someone, because the outcome of your support just may be successes in the end.  

Chasing Brooklyn

     The book Chasing Brooklyn by Lisa Schroeder is about how a boy’s (Luca) death affected everyone he was around, specifically his girlfriend Brooklyn and his brother Nico (Both of which have point of views in this book). Everyone is in a different position in the story, and they are dealing with Luca’s death differently.

       Brooklyn is having a hard time letting go. She writes to Luca in these journals. The journals aren’t very sappy at all, more an observance of her life surrounding his death.  I think she is trying to scream her words on a page. But writing in a journal I think, has her calm down and writing in a way that makes her think and give words feeling and a momentum instead screaming nonsense. She is also seeing dreams about a friend who also killed himself because he believed he caused Luca’s death. Gabe is chasing her around and he always traps her. Brooklyn is confused when she wakes because she sees no reason for Gabe to be chasing her. I think that dreams about Gabe because she’s living in a dream like state, just like he was before he killed himself. And so I think the dreams are to make her think twice. So that she doesn’t end up causing anyone grief.

       Nico is having a harder time dealing with his brother’s death because he sees things all the time that remind him of Luca. This is a serious case nostalgia because I think that’s how he wants to remember Luca, a kid who no one associated death with. Everyone does this when someone dies because it’s a way to mourn. Nico also said that Luca was the family’s favorite son, and that he feels ignored of how after the favorite son had died, that he had to deal with the depression of the family. That can be true maybe because he feels abandoned and has to deal with own feelings, one feeling as that no one wants to talk to him or give him the right answers. He feels angry at mourners who aren’t making him feel any better, until he realizes he’s a mourner himself.

        I fit into the mourner group. The mourner group consists of no one who was close to the victim. It consists of people who are remembering a victim that was close to them or they have sympathy to those in pain. When Sammy died, I was remembering my friend who died from brain cancer last summer. It pained me to see so many dying. It brought back the ugly truth that my tutor told me “Out of 8 billion people, 10 million are going to die in this decade” What’s even more depressing is that Sammy and my other friend had to be part of that group.   

        Death can do many things to people. It puts many in depression or it brings back many memories that some hold precious to. Death is part of life, but sadly not everyone dies when their skin is wrinkly. Someone who dies at a young age hurts others more because they hadn't had the chance to live life to their fullest. It affects everyone around them. The pain never really goes away. 

Flipped

               The book Flipped by Wendelin Van Draanen is a teenage book about how a boy (Bryce) and a girl (Juli) feel about each other as they grow up. This book teaches one about a lot of social issues. One big issue is money which gets thrown around a lot in the book. Money has a lot to do how the characters are the way they are in the book.

  Juli's family has financial problems in this book. Their house is not like every other house. It is actually rented. Their yard is a mess and they have a very old car. Bryce's family is pretty wealthy. But Bryce's father ridicules Juli’s family for being this way. This is unfair. A person shouldn't be judged for the amount money they have in their wallets. They should be judged for whom they are and if they work hard. One should understand why someone is the way they are. And even if one was wealthy then they should be judged of maybe how they spend their money. Is the money being given to charity? Is it being used to make someone else’s life better? If these are all the qualities in a person, they are wealthy no matter the amount of money they have.

   There is also a reason for the financial problems Juli’s family has. Juli’s uncle is mentally and physically handicapped. All the family’s money goes into investment for her uncle. I think that the situation proves something. It proves that Juli’s parents were giving up some comforts to make sure that the uncle got most of his. They are giving up what they worked hard for so that the uncle is treated with the best care. That shows understanding and it shows heart. A lot of people in this world can’t do that and I’m sure that Bryce’s father wouldn't have been able to. Giving up so much for someone else is very hard but living with financial problems so you can give care to someone makes it worth it.

    

     Flipped shows that being wealthy doesn't matter, what matters is that you use your wealth, whatever it may be (money, knowledge, love, etc.), for the greater good. Juli has certainly learned that and Bryce’s dad may have to. Situations spring up on us, but as they may, we have to tackle them, even if we have to give something up.