Sam

Essay 12

1/27/10

English

Racism:

The Never Ending Fight

Racism is almost unavoidable in the world we live in today. At some point you may experience it, read about it, or hear about it on television. However today there is much less racism than the time frame of the book To Kill a Mocking Bird.

TS-The theme racism show up all throughout the book, but clearly show’s up in Chapter 24.SD-An example of racism in this chapter is when Tom tries to escape from jail. CM-Tom, an innocent black man trying to escape from prison, got shot seventeen times when climbing the fence (loose Sentence) .CM-Seventeen times is way too many times to shoot someone; they obviously enjoyed what they were doing.SD-Mrs. Merriweather also makes some racial remarks in this chapter, like the phrase, “sulky darky”. She is referring to how distracting a grumbling grumpy black man can be. CM-She also acts like her black maid is her own property. CS-Racism is clearly a main theme in Chapter 24 that really jumps out at me.

TS-In my life I can’t think of any racism; it rarely occurs. SD-Today is so much different from what the south used to be. CM-During Scout and Jem’s childhood the south was the most racist place, unlike the north. CM-In my life I have never witnessed racism; it just doesn’t happen where I live. SD-The only time I hear about racism is on the news.CM-Every once and awhile I will hear a story about racial disputes between people.CM-On the news I hear people being killed, houses being burned because of racial tension, and I can only watch in shame. CS-I find it sad how today there are still people who think they are superior because of their skin color.

It’s still not a good thing that racism occurs today even though there is less than there once was. There should be no discrimination in the world.

Sam

Assessment Project

Visit Six

1/25/10

TS- Tonight was my sixth visit to the New London Soup Kitchen. SD-They were really short on volunteers and had a lot of wet hungry people. CM-Right away I was put to work serving bread and salad.CM-Serving salad was defiantly the hardest job yet because the salad always slipped through the over sized tongs, and there was a line of people eagerly waiting. SD-As usual there is always one person that wants to talk and tells stories. CM-One man started saying how ran track in high school and lost a race because he looked back and tripped.CM- Then he said he has the worst luck, when he first hitchhiked he used the wrong finger. I always enjoy talking to some of the people because they have very interesting stories to tell.SD-its night like tonight, cold and rainy, that really hit the homeless hard. CM-I could not picture myself outside tonight struggling to stay warm.CS-It just makes me think where will they sleep tonight? How did they get there?

Sam

1/21/2010

Mr. Salsich

English

The Simple Way Of Living:

In Your Own World

The world can be an unforgiving and cruel place. It takes people like Jem to fix it. Jem still has many miles to go, but he has already found the biggest problem in the world; people being prejudice. At the Maycomb court, watching an innocent black man be sentenced to death, is where this problem was truly discovered. Jem is not the type of person who is going to sit back and watch this horrible problem continue or grow.

TS-In Chapter 23 of To Kill A Mocking Bird, Jem figures out why Boo Radley has stayed cooped up in his house for most of his life.SD-At the end of the chapter Jem says, “I think I’m beginning to understand why Boo Radley stayed shut up in the house all this time…..it’s because he wants to stay inside.”CM-Finally, Scout and Jem have figured out why Boo Radley stays inside all the time. CM-They concluded that the world is so cruel and filled with problems, it’s just easier to stay shut up in your own world.SD- The reason they figured this out now is because they have had first hand experience on how bad the world can be. CM-They have almost stepped into his shoes and felt how he feels.CM-As Jem and Scout grow older, they will learn more and more about the real world. Atticus states this point well when he tells Jem, “You’ve many more miles to go on, son.” SD-I personally think it is a little cowardish for Boo Radley to stay out of society because he is hiding from the world.CM- If you want to make the world a better place, you have to experience the problems and learn how to fix them.CM-By hiding under your shell, you will not change anything. Jem, who has a strong heart and determination, will one day change the world.(S-V split) CS-As long as there are people who are not scared to speak up for what is right, the world will be a better place.

I feel bad for Jem because he is so young and has no voice; It’s like he is drowing and he cant yell for help. He must get annoyed at Boo Radley because he has a voice, but chooses to sit inside and hide from the world. He is just a coward who does not want to experience what three kids have already experienced.

Self Assesment-

I think I did alright on my essay. I put a lot of time into rereading and checking it over for mistakes. I wish I didn’t forget to put in the SV-Split until the end of the essay. I had some trouble finding a good place for it. I also think my essay repeats a few times. Next time I will try to make my point without too much repetition.

Sam

Soup Kitchen

Visit Five

1/17/10

New London Soup Kitchen

TS-Last Friday was my fifth visit to the New London Soup Kitchen. SD-This visit was one of my favorites because I got the chance to work in the dish room.CM-The dish room is the best job in the soup kitchen because you are surrounded by warm humid air with the smell of soap.CM-For two whole hours I worked in the dish room and didn’t even realize I was working .SD-Even though the dish room is my favorite place to work in the soup kitchen I did not get enough interaction with the people.CM-From now on if they ask me to work in the dish room I will ask if I can work as a server.CM-By working as a server I get the chance to listen and talk to some of the people.SD- When I was in the dish room I did meet some very interesting people from New London, Waterford, and Stonington.CM-One man I met was from the Coast Guard, and another girl from Waterford High School.CM-The Coast Guard gentleman and the girl were always ragging on one another and cracking jokes. I found them very entertaining. CS-I have defiantly met some interesting while working at the kitchen and am very eager to me more.

Sam

1/13/10

Mr. Salsich

English Learning:

A Road To Success

TS-Throughout the book To Kill a Mocking Bird, there have been many examples of the theme, learning, especially in chapter twenty- one. SD-In Chapter Twenty-one Tom Robinson is brought to court because he is accused of taking advantage of Mayella Ewell. CM- When Jem, Scout, and Dill spent the day listening to this trial, they learned alot.CM- It was very good for them to learn and feel how cruel the world can be.SD- The biggest thing the children learned was that a white jury would put an innocent black man into jail because they were scared it would look bad on them.CM-I found it very powerful when Dill started crying because Mr. Gilmer was talking to Tom Robinson in a hateful way just because he is a negro. CM-They all learned a valuable lesson that African Americans were not treated as equals even when a man’s life is on the line.SD-I also learned many things in this chapter about Mr.Ewell. CM-When Mr.Ewell caught Mayella kissing Tom, he beat her and blamed it on Tom.CM- Mr.Ewell is obviously a heavy drinker and beats his kids when they do something wrong. I don’t understand how the jury could say Tom was guilty when all of the clues clearly showed it was Mr.Ewell who beat Mayella.

TS-In my life the theme learning is constantly occuring everyday in the classroom and at home.SD-Each day when I walk through the front doors of school, I am guaranteed to learn something new. CM-Ironically, right now in History we are learning about the March to Freedom which relates to what Jem, Scout, and Dill are learning in the courtroom. CM- So far, the Tom Robinson case is the best example of the theme, learning, in the book To Kill a Mocking Bird.SD-The theme learning, is also a necessity for every human being because learning is so crucial to success. CM-Without learning, you will never get a good education and will be stuck without a job.CM-Even though learning is not always fun, it is worth it in the long run so you can become a productive person. Without learning there would be no such thing as a doctor or teacher. Imagine a world without these people.CM-The world would be a primitive, boring, confusing place and turn into a game of survival of the fittest. CS- Learning is essential. Without it the world would be complete chaos.

Sam

1/10/10 Visit Four

Service Project

Visit Four

TS-Today I visited the New London Soup Kitchen from four to five o’clock. SD-I must say I feel like today’s visit to the soup kitchen felt like a waste. CM-For one whole hour I wrapped forks, spoons, and knives in napkins and then was sent home because the staff was so heavy. CM-I still got my one hour in and I guess I did the long tedious work that had to get done at some point.SD-While wrapping the forks and spoons I over herd a guy saying “drinking colt 45 and staying alive”. CM-I found this sentence very interesting because I knew he was a heavy drinker and homeless. CM-Colt 45 is a type of liquor that is very powerful; I wondered why he would spend the money on this alcohol when he struggles to stay alive. SD-The reason some people drink alcohol and use drugs is to forget being homeless. CM-This is very dangerous because they become addicted and dependent on drugs and cannot stop buying and using them. CM-This alcohol and drug money should be put toward house, rent, food and other necessities to live. CS-Once these homeless people get addicted to drugs and alcohol they are stuck in a whole that is extremely hard to climb out of and will soon kill them.

Sam

1/1/10

New London Soup Kitchen

Third Visit

TS-This afternoon was my third visit to the New London Soup Kitchen.SD- Today I tried something different and went at lunch time. CM-Going at lunch time was a lot more work than going at dinner because there were less people helping.CM-Today I was scrambling everywhere getting drinks and desert and filling glasses with milk. SD-While I was serving today I had a brief talk with several people as they walked down the food line.CM-One man noticed my Stonington Football sweatshirt and told me he went to Stonington and played football.CM-Another very nice man started talking politics to me, saying he used to work for democrats but now works for republicans.CM-It is sometimes hard to understand what people are saying so I could only make out a few words he said.SD-I have been trying to figure out how some of these people end up on the streets with no home. CM-I overheard some people saying they lost money at the casino. CM-I considered that some people must have lost their jobs and couldn’t find new ones, while others may have addictions to gambling and drugs.CS-I feel very sorry for some of the people at the soup kitchen but I also feel very good inside once I finish working.