Wise

This article was just an okay read for me. I thought there was a lot of good points brought up about Obama and the different factors that played into race. Wise gets the message across that Obama becoming the first black president is a start for change but it doesn't erase the problem of racism. I agree with him on that point but every little step that is made is one that is closer to change and closer to equity for good.
Brown vs. Board of Education for what i learned was a huge turning point in the factor of color or race. It ended segregation and was another one of the steps as i mentioned. It was a step but the problem was still not yet solved. Racism was still a factor to the point where kids didn't even want to go to school. Although this was true i feel it was the only way to realize the equality among races and help kids to realize that white and black students and people could work together and make things work as a whole. Overall equal opportunity and rights were given to those of color and it obviously helped a lot if we are where we are today.

Kahne and Westheimer

This article was pretty interesting to me because we are doing service learning projects so some ways could relate. Relations such as caring for the people your helping and actually devoting time and giving to them were seen as more of an importance to me after reading. I realize that you cant just give to someone and expect for them to learn and be fine you have to care for them and vice verso. The article also opens up eyes to recognizing whats around us and the different things that we can do to help people. Going to hospitals, caring for the elderly, or helping out in schools just as we are is key to making a better society as a whole. Students must be dedicated in doing these projects and it will help to connect with those being helped, teach others better, and help to learn more about different situations and things that are beneficial.

Linda Christiansen

I feel as though this article is a very interesting one but its very controversial as well. Most people try not to feel as though the media plays as an influence in their thought process and lives when overall i personally believe it does. All the cartoons, movies, and media that people use to entertain themselves plays some kid of aspect in their lives. Children are very easily manipulated by cartoons but there are also some cartoons that are far fetched and i think that children can sometimes see the difference of what can be pertained to real life and what cant. The quote "Turning off cartoons doesn't stop the sexism, racism and racism." is an extremely strong point to make. I agree partially with that statement but i also think that turning off cartoons and choosing cartoons wisely is a very important start. The points that were made about Disney movies were obvious to me. When you look at most Disney movies there is usually a princess or prince that is either beautiful or handsome and they end up together every time. Kids see this and want to be that beautiful persona and look as themselves differently if that don't look that certain way. Disney would never have anyone that is LGBT in their movies and that's an example of sexism in itself. The quote about the servants and rich people came as an extreme shock to me that was one issue that i had never even picked up on or noticed in the Disney movies until now. There are so many cartoons like this out there but we can allow our children to watch this stuff but we must reassure them of the important factors that they may take to heart. This whole article was definitely one that makes you think and look into the media and television shows that you watch more thoroughly and see the different stereotypes that you do notice.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uatrgO5Omfw

Carlson

This article was decent read but i noticed it addressing all the different priveledges and cultures again. I feel like all these articles connect in different ways and address the advantages of color, sexuality, and other things. The fact that teachers had gotten fired due to the fact that they were gay was absolutly ubserd. Teachers are teachers no matter what they are there for the same reason, to teach these students and give them a better education. The sexuality of a teacher shouldnt make a difference because that is his/her personal right and personal buisiness. I personally believe that people who are gay today are a lot more open about it than the people back in the day were. They should have the same respect as everyone else even though they are gay though, they shouldnt be addressed different than any other person. The point of being gay as a bad thing that is viewed by some people just needs to be erased. I think the people who are homosexual need to not be scared and not worry about what other people think and stand up for themselves more and then they will gain more and more respect over time. It needs to start in schools where children can be gay, be proud of what they are, and the other students dont look at them different. It shouldnt be as silenced as it is now. Carlson brings up a lot of good points in this article that need to be approached more thoroughly by the people who read it.

Aria

I really enjoyed this read and noticed a lot of different things that i had not seen in the last few articles. Rodriguez really opens up to his struggles and what can happen when things just aren't going the right way. He shows the difficulties that must be faced when your common language is different and everyone around you is speaking a different one. I noticed the main point of view to the story were concerned with struggles and how much easier life is in an environment like that when you are bilingual because if Rodriguez would have been bilingual its would have helped solve some of his problems. The article was mostly based on life at home but it did recognize points on how not being very fluent in the main language at school can be to a strong disadvantage fore you. It makes you less confident to do things such as speak in class. The cultures of power is noticed in this read as well because the main language in the public where Rodriguez was, was English and he wasn't very good at and could barely speak it. I felt that this article did get a bit frustrating at times because you just wanted him to be bilingual because you felt bad.

1."I believe that what the rich have done to the poor people in this city is something that a preacher could call evil. Somebody has power. Pretending that they don't so they don't need to
,•
use it to help people-that is my idea of evil. "

This is a strong statement and an eye opener. It makes you think in the back of your mind the things in this statement that are true. Those in power should be using it for good and taking advantage of having that power in a good way. This quote is one out of anger that really decsribes and dids deep where this anger is coming from. If the rich and the poor reached a happy medium and helped each other everything would be so much different.


2."It's a different world from where you live. What can I say?"- Mrs. Washington

The environment where Mrs. Robinson is, is like no other. Its almost like a different lifestyle. She's trying to say what is there to do about this situation im in.

3.“As confident and grown-up as he sounds, he has the round face of a baby and is scarcely more than three and a half feet tall”

The way Cliffie sometimes had to live it would depict him as a adult in this lifestyle. But this was not true even his matureness couldnt prove he was nothing but still a boy.

I belive that is book teaches a lot of different things to its readers. It digs deep into lifestyles that some of us have never even heard of before. It shows hardship and at times is extremely sad to read. I liked this read the best so far and believed it told a better story than the other articles. It kept my interest the whole time and did make me want to keep reading. It deals with peoples lives that have delts with stds and deaths due to stds which is extremely sad because they are poor so they cant get much medication for it. It draws your attention to poverty and the different things that could be done to change it or help. Welfare should be used to help those is real need like the people in the book. It also shows the need for education in a society like this one because some of the kids really are smart and try hard like Cliffie.