My name is Jay Lewenstein, and I try to write something every day.We all have our anxieties about writing essays, but if we really think about it, we all have something to say. My students are unique individuals that come from diverse backgrounds. In classroom workshops, my hope is for students to develop the confidence and skill to freely express themselves.
At the end of the semester, none of us offer any definitive answers to what we have read, but we all see the progress in our writing from where we started. We write about what we know. We lay out our fears and hopes and dreams. If we can write with a compassionate understanding for our subjects and topics, that’s pretty good. Below I’ve arranged and framed excerpts of our most recent writing.
* To expand the size of the type for easier reading, please CLICK twice.
* To read the complete essays, follow the links provided underneath.
We hope you like what you see. Don’t hesitate to leave a comment. Join in the discussion. You’ll be with IVC Friends of the Earth
Tristan's essay on Jackie Robinson focuses on the man's courage. We all know that Jackie could play with the best of the best in the major leagues, if only given the chance! But could any of the other players match his determination to overcome the fierce racism of the times? Not only did Jackie become a star player, but he became a national hero. According to Tristan, we all have something to learn from the spirit of Jackie Robinson.
Jackie Robinson: Persevering Against All Odds
When Jackie Robinson debuted in Major League Baseball, he received criticism from opposing players and managers everywhere he went. Some of Robinson’s own teammates in the Dodgers, all from the South, wanted to boycott the team because they didn’t want to see a black player in the team. Pee Wee Reese, the Dodgers’ captain, refused to sign the petition, which made it the turning point in the Dodgers clubhouse. Reese accepted Robinson as a player, and stood up for him at all times. At first, some of the Dodgers players were hesitant to accept Robinson in the clubhouse, but they eventually did and everyone was there for him, becoming brothers on and off the field. One time, Reese was playing cards in the clubhouse with Robinson, and a fellow teammate, Dixie Walker, pulled Reese aside and confronted him for playing cards with Robinson. Reese replied, “Look, Dixie, you and Stell travel with a black woman who takes care of your kids, who cooks your food, who you trust -- isn't that even more than playing cards with a black?'’ (“Reese”). Reese quickly managed to point out Walker’s hypocrisy; he got upset at Reese playing cards with Robinson when Walker himself had a black woman who took care of his family life while the Dodgers were playing. It’s very important to notice Reese’s courageous action in a time where the country was heavily segregated and black people were heavily looked down upon. If it wasn’t for Reese, Robinson probably wouldn’t have been accepted by his own teammates and his courage, determination and hustle for baseball wouldn’t be noticed nowadays.
There wouldn’t have been many black players in baseball nowadays, which means that we wouldn’t have seen legendary black players in baseball, such as Hank Aaron, Willie Mays and Ken Griffey Jr.When Robinson debuted in the MLB, he instantly received criticism from everyone. The idea of an African-American playing professional baseball was seen as unethical since segregation was seen everywhere in the country, and Jim Crow laws were especially noticed in the South. Besides, some of Robinson’s own teammates threatened to boycott if he played with the Dodgers. Although Jackie Robinson managed to break baseball’s color barrier, he first had to break through to his fans and teammates. In 1947, the Dodgers traveled to Cincinnati to play the Reds. There, Robinson endured so much racial abuse from the crowd and opposing players. In an act of solidarity, Reese put his hand on Robinson’s shoulder (“Reese”). It was an enormous gesture for Reese to befriend Robinson, especially when he was criticized by the media and even his own teammates for doing it.
At the time, segregation was seen in the country and the idea of a white person to befriend a black person was widely frowned upon.Since Reese grew up in segregated times, he never went to school or played baseball with African-Americans. So, when he shook Robinson's hand for the first time, it was the first time he had ever shaken the hand of an African-American, so it was a huge step in his career and his life (“Reese”). As captain of the Dodgers, Reese encouraged his fellow teammates to accept Robinson as a player and not look down at him since he was African-American. If Reese never accepted Robinson as a teammate, Robinson’s impact on baseball as well as his fight for civil rights probably wouldn’t have existed. It’s very important that Pee Wee Reese managed to befriend Robinson and accept him as a teammate to let everyone know that racism has no place in sports. Robinson’s impact in the civil rights movement was huge in not just normal life, but in sports as well because it allowed teams to accept their players, regardless of their race or skin color.
To see Tristan's complete Film History Research Paper, please click on the following link: 42
To learn more of Jackie's determination and story, please click on the video below:
In 1967, New Orleans District Attorney Jim Garrison dared to solve the assassination of President Kennedy. His goal was to bring the real assassins to justice. He had high-level informants in the government. He had first-hand witnesses. He had real-time video of the rifle shots that killed the president. But he confronted the most ominous opponent: The U.S. Government. He was almost destroyed in his quest to reveal the truth. Below, Miguel Simo re-opens the case. It’s been nearly sixty years, and we still don’t know what happened. According to Miguel, we lost a beloved president on Nov. 22, 1963. We also forever lost our trust in our own government.
JFK Conspiracy: Murder in Plain Sight
The only person that was suspicious about who actually killed John Fitzgerald Kennedy, the 35th President of the United States of America, was Jim Garrison. In the 1950’s the CIA began training assassins. The assassins went around the world killing the people that they thought were evil. The CIA worked for JFK and there is suspicion that they are the ones responsible for his death. In the movie JFK Jim Garrison had a meeting with ex CIA agent Mr. X. Mr. X reveals that there was a lot of planning in JFK’s murder. He talks about how the CIA operated and that there were a lot of basic security violations. Mr. X proudly boasted,”We were good.” This meant that the CIA could have orchestrated the assassination and had the means to get away with it. Nowadays many believe that Jim Garrison was right, and that the CIA were involved in the murder. The files that were finally released in 2017 showed that Lee Harvey Oswald was always being tracked by the government. For some mysterious reason they lost track of him exactly the day of JFK’s murder. President Donald Trump announced that not all of the files were going to be released, and he pushed back the release dates even further. Are we ever going to get the whole truth, or is it too dangerous for people to learn the truth?
In 1963 JFK’s term was cut short. The young president was about three years into his presidential term. He had already done and seeked what other presidents didn't. He had achieved peace with the Soviets, and had ended the cold war. That was going to look good for his next presidential campaign, so many of his enemies declared him a target. Most likely he was going to win the next election campaign. It was said by some people that he was pro- communism and that he was a weak president. The president of the United States of America was killed because his enemies wanted war, but he wanted peace.
Film director Oliver Stone doesn’t want us to forget the assassination. I wasn’t even born when the murder occured; in fact, I wasn’t even born when the movie came out. After watching the movie about 30 years after the premier and 60 years after JFK’s death. I have an idea of the mistrust Stone is talking about. On November 22, 1963 at approximately 10:30 am. JFK was in a motorcade in Dallas, Texas. JFK was in a 1961 Lincoln Continental with his wife Jacqueline Kennedy Onasis. When they were passing through Dealey Plaza Kennedy got sniped, and one bullet took his life at the age of 46. Dealey Plaza is where JFK was murdered, and o one knows for sure why this happened. President JFK had many enemies, so it's hard to tell if it was his own people or someone else sent from another country. All I got from the JFK historical movie investigation is that the person who took the shot was trained really well. Oswald just took the fall for the crime, and the investigators didn’t get the picture. They figured since people from the scene where killed it was now impossible to pinpoint the truth. It also didn’t help that it was obvious that there were corrupt agents involved.
To read Miguel's complete Film History Research Paper, please click on the following link: JFK.
To see a reenactment of the president's murder, please watch the following clip from Oliver Stone's movie:
In her English 110 historical research paper, Bertha explores the passion, pain and art of Frida Kahlo. Where and how did Frida develop her incredible spirit? How can we learn from her? Unfortunately, Bertha says, Frida’s legacy is being chipped away and faded by mass commercialism. More people know her from T-shirts than they do from her courageous art. Bertha does her best to set the record straight.
Frida Kahlo made herself known through the art she created. Some knew of the health problems she had dealt with in her life, such as polio and injuries from a bus incident. Later in her life, people learned of her politics and her views on feminism. Still, there are many people in the present who don’t know much about Frida. One writer put it this way: “There’s Frida the feminist, Frida the communist, Frida the Mexican, Frida the folk hero, Frida the controversial Barbie Doll, and on and on” ("Impossible to Label Frida"). Most people recognize the Mexican painter first by her unibrow and last by her artwork. Her life work is being forgotten due to people focusing on superficial aspects of her being. Although a lot of people know of Frida Kahlo, they only know that she was a painter and had a unibrow. They know this because of items that have been sold that use her face. This doesn't take into account everything that she did when she was alive or accurately describe her legacy.Frida Kahlo was a feminist and political figure who expressed her tragedies and love through art, and yet not many people know of the legacy she left behind.
Frida Kahlo was a troubled soul. So much she endured in her forty-seven years of life that both contributed to the heaviness in her heart and served to inspire passion. Frida dealt with a lot of inner struggles. She had a hard time believing her paintings and drawings were good. In turn, she found it hard to believe that others would like her art. In particular, she sought the approval of Diego Rivera. Furthermore, Frida's entire life was filled with tragedies. She had to deal with health issues, including the polio she had when she was a child and the bus incident when she was a teen that left her with multiple injuries that would affect her the rest of her life. Additionally, she had problems having a baby, a result of the bus incident. She also had a great conflict in her marriage to Diego Rivera. Rivera's infidelity caused many problems including a strained relationship with her sister because of their affair. Although these struggles caused great pain, they were the inspirations for many of her works. Kahlo, as a person, was very complicated. Not only did she have great talent, but the actions she took throughout her life showed the type of person she was. She was a socialist and took an active part in her country's politics. She often reflected these views in her paintings. Frida was also a feminist. Her paintings often depicted real struggles of women. She defied gender stereotypes, which at the time she was alive, was a difficult thing to do. Even with the many great things about Frida, she did have some negative qualities. Among those is her infidelity to her husband. She had done it because her husband had been unfaithful to her in the first place but she did decide to do it as well. She had trouble understanding that Rivera would never be monogamous but she loved him deeply. The events that occurred throughout her life as well as her reactions and feelings towards those events helped shape who she was. It helped to form a complicated artist whose legacy would be left behind for many to admire.
To read Bertha's entire research paper, please click on the following link: Frida.
To learn more about the "Real" Frida, please click on the following video:
Can you explain sacrifice? – In English 110, Catherine Carmona chose to write her historical research paper on Harvey Milk, this country’s first openly-gay politician. For his relentless advocacy of a better and more equitable society, he was murdered in cold blood. “Hope will never be silent,” he famously said.
Harvey Milk: A Pioneer of the Gay Rights Movement
In the ‘70s things in San Francisco were not as liberal as they are today. Gay men and women were still establishing themselves in the Castro District of San Francisco and Harvey Milk and his lover had just moved to the city from New York to escape his uptight, Wall Street, conservative life. Upon moving to San Francisco though, Milk was disappointed with the progress gay people had made in what was supposed to be the most liberal city in America, so he decided to take things into his own hands and run for public office. He didn't win the first or the second time or even the third time, but in 1977 he was finally elected to the Board of Supervisors of San Francisco, reigning over the Castro District (Patterson).
At this time, the gay rights movement was especially serious with Anita Bryant and John Briggs gaining a following of people who wanted to strip gays and lesbians of their civil rights. Harvey Milk, in turn received many death threats on a regular basis because he was openly, and flamboyantly gay, and never tried to censor himself to anyone. He had a deep-seated feeling that he would be assassinated. He believed this so fervently that he once said, "If a bullet should enter my brain, let that bullet destroy every closet door." Milk believed that to really end prejudice against gay people everyone should 'come out' because that would show heterosexual people that gay people are just like them. That gay people are people they know and interact with on a regular basis. It would show heterosexual people that gay people aren't the boogeyman that is waiting to abduct their children and convert them to their deviant lifestyles, as the Anita Bryants and John Briggs' of the world attempted to have society believe. In the end, Harvey Milk did get assassinated, and his death was widely publicized, and it caused a HUGE uproar in the gay community. In San Francisco specifically there were riots in the streets, but there was also a lot of unnecessary violence that I know Milk, sadly, would not have approved of.
Milk was the first openly gay man to be elected to public office. He sponsored a bill that banned discrimination based on a person's sexual orientation in housing, employment, and public accommodations. He also helped defeat the Briggs Initiative, which was a Proposition that would've banned gays, lesbians, and their allies from working in the public school system. In the 1970s Harvey Milk’s courageous fight for gay rights led to ugly political opposition and his tragic murder.
To read Catherine's complete research paper, please click on the following link: Milk.
To learn about the life and tragic death of gay rights pioneer Harvey Milk, please click on the following video:
We are proud to publish Gianna’s Jim Crow Research Paper smack in the middle of Black History Month. As I type this intro, I listen to news reports that our democracy is in crisis. Anti-voter legislation is being passed in many states to limit the rights for people of color. They are calling it “Jim Crow 2.0.” Gianna writes about racial segregation in the 1960s. Her paper focuses upon three Black women mathematicians who were forced to fight for their respect each and every day at NASA Space Center in Houston. Take it from Gianna, we don’t want to return to those times. Please remember to VOTE!
Jim Crow Laws in the 1960s:The Legalization of Discriminationand Segregation
In the film,Hidden Figures, Katherine Johnson isthe only Black woman working in the Space Task Group, which means she is constantly in a room surrounded by white men.This film takes place in the 1960s when segregation was legally allowed and enforced due to the Jim Crow laws. In one of the most emotional and intense scenes of the filmHidden Figures, Al Harrison asks Katherine why she is gone for forty minutes a day when she should be working. She exclaims, “There are no colored bathrooms in this building or any building outside the West Campus, which is half a mile away. Did you know that? I have to walk to Timbuktu just to relieve myself. And I can’t use one of the handy bikes. Picture that, Mr. Harrison.” Katherine’s frustration and anger at the racist circumstances show in this scene as she explains how segregation has led her to wasting time just to use the restroom. In another scene from this film, Katherine is trying to get a cup of coffee from the coffee pot while all of her coworkers watch her and look at her strangely. The next day, there is a coffee pot labeled “COLORED.” Katherine explains her struggles working there as an African-American woman as she states, “And I work like a dog, day and night, living off of coffee from a pot none of you wanna touch! So, excuse me if I have to go to the restroom a few times a day.” The coffee pot is a symbol of segregation and discrimination that Black people experienced everyday in education, work opportunities, or in simple services. Katherine experiences this everyday in the workplace, and she expresses how she cannot help that it affects her work and her emotions. Katherine's words represent an era of Jim Crow -- her working in NASA as a Black woman in the 1960s, surrounded by white ignorant men.
In the 1960s, Jim Crow era laws limited African-American rights and resources. The Historyarticle titled “Jim Crow Laws” defines theselaws as a “collection of state and local statutes that legalized segregation” which marginalized Black people and led to inequality in job opportunities, education, and voting. The Jim Crow laws affected African-American people heavily from the post-Civil War era to 1968, as these laws enforced segregation for hospitals, schools, theaters, restaurants, and even public parks. These laws claimed to hold the standard of “separate but equal”; however, these laws only enforced separation of the races with no equality. These laws legalized discrimination and allowed racism in the nineteenth and twentieth century. In workplaces that consisted of Black and white workers, Black workers usually were separated from their white counterparts. They could also not use the same facilities or resources as the other workers, which prevented Black people from having all of the tools they needed to succeed in some cases. In modern society, voter suppression is now being compared to the legal segregation in the 1960s as both disadvantaged and disenfranchised people of color.
In her article, “94-year-old Battles N.C. Voter ID Law: Woman Had Faced Jim Crow Laws Early in Her Life” Jenny Jarvie interviews Rosanell Eaton who believes voter ID laws are similar to Jim Crow era laws that disenfranchise people of color. Jarvie spotlights this inspirational Black woman who has experienced changes of voting laws and Black rights throughout her life. Rosanell Eaton grew up in rural North Carolina, where she was one of the first Black people to register to vote. Eaton was the granddaughter of a slave and has experienced racism, discrimination, and segregation throughout her life. Jarvie states, “Eaton, who has voted in every election since the 1940s and helped to register over 4,000 people to cast their own ballots, said the struggle to obtain ID is a hurdle that might prevent some from voting.” Jarvie expresses Eaton’s passion for helping other people of color vote for years, however, Eaton acknowledges that the new voter laws are affecting minorities and leading to voter suppression. New voter ID laws have been made in hopes of preventing voter fraud, but instead are impacting people of color more than fulfilling their purpose.
To read Gianna's complete Film History Research Paper, please click on the following link: Jim Crow.
To visit the Jim Crow Museum, please click on the following video:
In English 110, Isabella chose to explore story behind the story of The Help. Her research took her on a path to explore Mississippi’s Jim Crow laws in the 1960s. On the screen, she measured how people of different races were portrayed. She identified how racial stereotypes were reinforced or undermined. Her writing reflects upon how far we have come as a society and/or how much work we still have ahead of us.
The Civil Rights Movement: The Help Must Change
In the film The Help, Aibileen is a wise and weathered black maid who has raised seven white children. She works for Elizabeth Leefolt and adores toddler Mae Mobley Leefolt, even though she knows that the loving relationship could hurt them both. Aibileen has changed since her son's death, and she finds that she cannot accept the way things are so easily now. The book she writes with Skeeter andthe other maids empowers her to stand up for injustices. She teaches the children she raises that the color of skin does not matter but love and kindness do but she often feels that the message is countered by the racism in Jackson. Aibileen realizes she has more to offer in life than being a maid and finding the courage to try something new. When talking to Skeeter, she at one point says, "I thought I might write my stories down or read 'em to you. Ain't no different in writin' down my prayers." Her identity is determined by her place in society as a maid, but she embraces a central role in the writing project with Skeeter and finds a new identity as a writer, too. Aibileen realizes the danger that could result from her decisions, but she embraces the risk and relies on her faith for guidance. In the end, Aibileen discovers her own courage and talents, which leads her to leave her job as a maid and accept an undetermined path that will lead to more independence.The Help is about African Americans working in white households where they face racial backlash. The early 1960s were turbulent times for Mississippi. Society was strictly segregated along racial lines, and the social, political, and economic rights of blacks were suppressed through violence. Although slavery had ended 100 years earlier, African Americans in Mississippi had been kept in subjugation for decades through a system known as "Jim Crow." This film shows the discriminatory policies that African Americans had the worst jobs, lowest pay, poorest schools, and harshest living conditions.
The 1960s in Jackson, Mississippi, marked the peak of injustice in the Jim Crow South and on the brink of the Civil Rights Movement. During the 1960's, the era was covered in legal segregation and economic inequalities,which limited black women's employment opportunities. Up to 90 percent of working black women in the South labored as domestic servants in white homes. During this time, the Ku Klux Klan also known as the KKK were starting to form. These groups were made up of white men, mostly middle and upper class, and formed in cities and small towns throughout the South in the late 1950s and early 1960s. They wanted to spread and share Klan's ideology and worked to preserve the system of segregation. White supremacist politicians, police, and business leaders worked together to keep African Americans "in their place." People who were the color black that lived in Mississippi who challenged the system were arrested and jailed, punished by white employers, or attacked by the terrorist group Ku Klux Klan. Some were even killed for trying too vote or improve their lives.
To read Isabella's complete Film History Research Paper, please click on the following link: The Help.
To learn more about Jim Crow, please click on the video below:
This year, many of my students are writing historical research papers about Strong Women: Frida Kahlo, Rosa Parks, Amelia Earhart, Marilyn Monroe. Samantha’s search for an interesting subject led her to a group of young women factory workers in the 1920s who stood up to an industrial powerhouse. They were called the “Radium Girls.” They painted the numbers on watches in a glow-in-the-dark paint made with toxic chemicals. Desperate to keep their jobs, they did anything and everything they were told to do – including licking their brushes between each stroke. Samantha reports of the horrible consequences and the tremendous courage of these to take on American Radium in court.
Radium Girls: Those Who Glow in Death
In the film Radium Girls women decided to sue the company and ban the use or production of radium. These women were being lied to and gaslit about a product that shortened their lives. And even after the real information was brought to light, the radium company denied any knowledge even though they had plenty of hidden research about the dangers of radium. At first,radium had been used to cure cancer patients with the radiation it contained. As time passed, people used radium as a health benefit and regularly used it for everyday products such as face cream and toothpaste. The Radium Girls painted wristwatches every day to make the dials glow and made a cent for each dial. However, people ended up overstimulating their bodies to the radium which caused irregular blood tests. Radium had many different types of symptoms such as fatigue, dizziness, bloody vomit, anemia, cancer, cataracts, abscesses in the mouth, and reduced bone growth. Even after many women had come forward about their illness and how radium affected them, people either did not believe what they said or did not care enough to help them. They couldn’t leave their jobs because they would end up with no money. They were stuck between doing what’s best for their family and doing what’s best for their livelihood. The Radium Girls have been glossed over in America’s labor history after so many people had been affected by radium. It’s important for people to know about this awful moment in history so that it doesn’t happen again and no one is left unheard.
In the 1900s, radium had been discovered by Marie and Pierre Curie. It was used to cure cancer patients and was given to the public as a miracle medicine. People were enamored by the beautiful glow radium had used it to “lighten up” their lives. The radium companies used radium to make the dials on wristwatches glow in the dark. Most of the workers were female and were exposed to radium every day for two decades. In the 1920s, these female workers became ill due to the radium they had ingested and died after a couple of years. Catherine Donohue, a former radium worker, fought for a full decade until radium was finally banned. At Catherine’s funeral, the girls that worked with her and also had radium poisoning said their last goodbyes. David
Robson remarks, “The scene brought to mind the words of ancient gladiators in glorious Rome: Moritamor te salutamus - we who are about to die salute you,"(Daily Express). This last message holds a greater meaning when read with a different mindset. These women had been suffering for many years with no solution to their illness. Many doctors had misdiagnosed embarrassing diseases to shame them or to keep women quiet. After so many years of neglect, they were finally being heard thanks to Catherine Donohue’s devotion to banning radium. In their final years of life, they salute the one person listening to their pain.
What did the Radium Girls suffer through when they were poisoned? Why did the Radium companies try to cover it up?During the 1920s, money was very hard to come by and radium companies made a lot of money thanks to the element radium. When the female employees first discovered their illnesses, their beginning symptoms were dizziness, bloody vomit, hair loss, and fatigue. These symptoms began to worsen and would shortly pass away. At first, doctors believed the cause to be the phosphorus in the mixture but they found no phosphorus in their bodies. Although these women became incredibly ill with terrible symptoms of radium poisoning, the companies they worked for denied the accusations in order to avoid lawsuits and bankruptcy.
To read Samantha's complete research paper, please click on the following link: Radium Girls.
To learn more about the "The Messed Up Truth About The Radium Girls," please click on the following video:
I enjoy reading about the writing life. My bookshelves here in Mexicali are filled with writer biographies. I was happy to see Christian research the emergence of Gonzo journalism of Hunter S. Thompson who brought this writing style to the forefront of the 1960s. Cristian caught both the spirit of the man and his writing. Our reading has never been the same since.
Hunter S Thompson: Riding with Hell’s Angels
Hunter S Thompson was an American gonzo journalist, he also wrote many books, his biggest and best known books were Hell Angels, and Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas.What made him and his writing so popular was that he wrote in “gonzo”which is when the writer is in a first person view, and takes on more of a personal approach to the writing. His writings have made a lasting impact on gonzo journalism and people who looked up to him. ”As things stand now, I am goingto be a writer. I'm not sure that I'm going to be a good one or even a self-supporting one, but until the dark thumb of fate presses me to the dust and says 'you are nothing', I will be a writer” (Bisbort). Hunter never let his drug habits, or anything stop him. Hunter wrote what he wanted which separated him from anyone else. There were not a lot of people like him who wanted to be the rebellious person, do things no one wanted to do and speak to people who were different - this was his art .
In the article "Remembering Gonzo Journalism's Founding Father" Elaine Woo spells out Hunter's legacy, and more about his life. Hunter S Thompson was a " gonzo" journalist, he first started to write his own newspaper at age 10,he later wrote for his high school newspaper and then after he got out of the air force he would write for Rolling Stones. Hunter was a very interesting person to say the least, but that is what set him apart from other people, he would have a great influence on a lot of journalists, and people like Joe Rogan and Johnny Depp. Hunter's writing has become known as "gonzo journalism" where the person is writing in a first person view, which he didn't invent but he certainly made it more popular because of how he did it. You can't go without talking about Hunter's drug habits, which is pretty crazy to say the least, for a regular person that will affect them in their daily life, but Hunter it didn't because he loved and was dedicated to writing. When it comes to Hunter that was his thing he was super dedicated to his writing, and some great examples would be when he wrote "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas", Hells Angels: A Strange and Terrible Saga" and my personal favorite would be "Kingdom of Fear" if you would read his writing you will understand why he is such a great writer. Hunters have and will always have a huge impact on journalism, there will be future journalists who will want to following his footsteps.
Arebelisapersonwhogoesagainstthenormofwhatpeopledoorsayandgoagainst theirgovernment.Someonewhoisarebelbreakstherules,dressesdifferentlythan everyoneelse.Arebelissomeonewhoisanoutcastofnormalsocietybuttheydon't careaboutwhatpeoplethinkofthembecausetheydon'twanttobenormal.Thereare differenttypesofrebels,thereareoneswhenayoungpersonrebelsagainsttheir parentsbecauseofchores,therearepeoplewhotrytostopthegovernmentby protesting.WhenitcomestoHunterhewasconsideredtobetherebelofliterature,by thewayhewaswriting,butholdingthisbadmanwhodoesn'tcareaboutwhoand wherehewroteabout.AnexampleofHunterbeingarebelwouldbewhenhewrote Hell'sAngel:TheStrangeandTerribleSagaoftheOutlawMotorcycleGang,Hunter spentsometimewiththem,whennoonewantedtobearoundthematall.Hunterloved to be the rebel and carry this rebel image. HunterThompsonisalwaysgoingtobeknownforbeingasuperinfluentialjournalist, butyetthereisamysterytowhathewasthinking.OneofHunter'sproblemsthroughout hislifewaswithdrugs.Hehadaroutinewherehedidalotofdrugs,whichthroughout hislifewasdestroyinghimandhishealth.Withallhisbadheathitleadtohissuicide,it doesn’tallhavetobeduetothedrugsbutyetwasabigrole.Hunterhadwrittenabook Hell’sAngel:TheStrangeandTerribleSagaoftheOutlawMotorcycleGangwherewe interviewedthem,talkedtothemanddrankwiththem.Afterwehadpublisheditgrew andthehellsangelshadconfrontedHunteronlivetelevision.AsHunterstartedhis careerhewantedhiscareertogrowandhiswritingstogetoutmore,duringthattime therewasn’tanyinternetsoitwasharder.Hunterhadwrittenhisbiggestbookofhis careerwhichwasFearandLoathinginLasVegas.Thisiswhatmadehimwellknown andultimatelymademorepeoplewanthimtowritefortheircompany.
To read Cristian's complete Film History Research Paper, please click on the following link: Hunter S. Thompson
To learn more of Hunter S. Thompson's "Edge," please click on the following video:
The first minutes of Saving Private Ryan is a bloodbath. Steen Spielberg provides us with a frightening look at the violence of war. Yahir provides us with historical perspective. His paper gives us the story behind the story. When the Allied forces came ashore at Utah and Omaha beaches, it would become known as the largest amphibious military operation in history. Every man there knew that a successful invasion of the continent was central to winning the war.
D-Day: Allies and the Turn-around of WWII
The movie Saving Private Ryan is based on an event during time the German forces were on the coast of Normandy France defending this major state for Germany. The most important part of the war in my opinion was the invasion of Normandy. This meant the loss of supplies for the Germans and a way for the Allies to strike against German forces located in nearby countries. The attack in Normandy was something really difficult, the plan consisted of several elements such as a “ghost army”, fake radios, and more, we get to see how soldiers felt during and after the war.Most of this trauma happensdue to seeing a friend die or comrade next to them or even in their arms. “The noise of war does more than deafen you,” War is something that soldiers will remember. Soldiers may get a trauma from the idea of war; this will change the way they live from day to day. We as civilians see a war victory as an achievement but soldiers see war as hell - it stays with them forever.
During the war the Allies were searching for ways to deceive the German forces so that they could attack other countries such as Normandy. The United States came up with a great plan called Quicksilver I, which was the first U.S. army group called the FUSAG, they were stationed in south-east England and commanded by Gen. George Patton. General Patton was the worst fear for the Germans, they saw him as someone who knew what he was doing and seeing him do this plan was their biggest concern. Formerly, Patton was asked what he believed when they introduced the last-minute plan, this is what he had to say, “A good plan violentlyexecuted now is better than a perfect plan executed next week” (Patton 1945). This made sense in many ways, the group and plan Quicksilver were something used to deceive the German Forces and help the Allies attack Normandy. This plan contributed to the victory of D-Day. The way Patton and his soldiers were able to get into character and fool the Germans was something amazing. The plan, Quicksilver created a fake army which the Germans will begin to observe in detail, making Hitler believe that the Allies were going to attack from Belgium instead of Normandy. Overall general Patton was able to fool the Germans and help the Allies win the war.
The beginning of the movie introduces the attack of Normandy.The soldiers are transported by boat while there are planes flying by and attacking the beach before the boats land. As the soldiers are getting closer, we can see how the German forces are found and how they will defend this part of the beach. As soldiers arrive, they are being shot by German forces found on the beach, we get to see how the attack began before the Allied soldiers were able to reach the beach. Some soldiers were forced to jump out of the boats they were being transported to, then the attack began. Many soldiers were killed before they could get off the boat, the beach was full of holes, there wereCzech hedgehogs, minesall over the beach. It seemed like a nightmare to be there, some soldiers were helping others who were injured, this was what it felt to be in Normandy when D-Day started, chaos everywhere you looked. This was one of the most historically exact scenes we get to see during the whole movie. One of the few survivors had said that he does not see beaches the same, we can see how he feels when he says, “Where tourists and vacationers see pleasant waves, I see the faces of drowning men,”. Soldiers had to go through hell and can see how Lambert feels about war when he wrote, “The noise of war does more than deafen you it’s worse than shock, more physical than something thumping against your chest. It pounds your bones, rumbling through your organs, counter-beating your heart. Your skull vibrates. You feel the noise as if it’s inside you, a demonic parasite pushing at every inch of skin to get out.”
To see Yadir's complete Research Paper, please click on the following link: D-Day.
To learn more of "D-Day: The Taking of Omaha Beach," please click on the following video:
When Bonnie was in high school she was good student. Her favorite class was English! She had dreams of being either an actress or a writer. Or both! But, when the Great Depression hit, life just got in the way. She had to drop out of school and work as a waitress or a prostitute. There were no other options for girls like her. That is, until she met Clyde. He stole cars. Salvador chose Bonnie and Clyde, not only to report on their infamous crime spree, but to provide important insight to one of our nation’s most difficult historical eras.
Bonnie and Clyde: Products of the Great Depression
Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow were an American criminal couple who traveled the Central United States with their gang during the Great Depression. They were mostly known for their bank robberies. However, they preferred to rob small stores or rural funeral homes. Their crime spree captured the attention of the American press and its audience during what is occasionally referred to as the "public enemy era" between 1931 and 1934. In 1934, Bonnie and Clyde were ambushed on a highway they were riddled with bullets and that was the end of their crime spree. The police used them as a way to show their authority and to set an example for anyone trying to follow their footsteps. The article "Shredding the Glamour from Bonnie and Clyde” states, "It turned Parker and Barrow into the iconic figures they had been more than 30 years earlier when their exploits captured the imagination of the public suffering during The Great Depression.” Bonnie and Clyde distracted people from their struggles of the Great Depression. Many people disliked the banks because they were robbing them. They were also idolized because they were lovers on the run. They were outcasts which really attracted the public.
How did the Great Depression play a role in the criminal lives of Bonnie and Clyde?During the 1920’s, the United States economy grew rapidly, and many Americans became more prosperous. The stock market began to fluctuate and on July 8th, 1932, it reached its lowest value which caused the Great Depression. Banks and investors lost large sums of money, and this caused uncertainty about the future of the economy. Consequently, it led to consumers to cut back on purchasing goods and services. These factors contributed to making the Great Depression worse which lasted a total of eleven years from 1930 to 1941 and is now a big part of our history. Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow became criminals due to their upbringing. Both were poor, and to add to that the Country was heading into the Great Depression which caused uncertainty of the future of the country's economy. In "Stock Market Crash of 1929" We learn about the collapse of the United States stock market, which was one the biggest contributing factors that led to the Great Depression. In the article it talks about where it all started which is in the 1920's.
During the 1920’s, the United States economy grew rapidly, and many Americans became more prosperous, the average price of stocks on the New York Stock Exchange increased about six times from 1921 to 1929. The increase in share prices caused many people to believe it would keep going up and many people begin to speculate, which means to invest in stocks, property, or other ventures in the hope of gain but with the risk of loss. The stock market closed on October 23rd, 1929, The Dow Jones Industrial Average, which tracks stock prices of 30 major firms, shows the price trends of stocks traded in the United States. The following day, October 24, known as “Black Thursday,” the stock market average dropped. On October 28, share prices fell again and the stock market lost nearly 13 percent of its value. On Tuesday, Oct. 29, 1929 known as "Black Tuesday "shareholders panicked. A massive sell-off of shares caused the stock market to fall almost 12 percent. By mid-November, stock prices had dropped about 48 percent. After the big drop in stock prices, the stock market began to fluctuate and on July 8th, 1932, it reached its lowest value which caused the Great Depression. Banks and investors lost large sums of money, and this caused uncertainty about the future of the economy, which led to consumers to cut back on purchasing goods and services. These factors contributed to making the Great Depression worse which lasted a total of eleven years from 1930 to 1941 and is now a big part of our history.
* To read Sal's complete Film History Research Paper, please click on the following link: Bonnie and Clyde.
* To find out "What The World Never Knew About Bonnie And Clyde," please click on the following video:
”I wish someone knew what I was going through…” Too many of our young people are suffering in the shadows. We hope our classroom research and writing will contribute to a “safe zone” on campus where students, staff and instructors can develop understanding of complicated mental health issues. Our goal is to break the negative stigma associated with mental illness. For starters, we look to create a cross-the curriculum dialogue of anxiety, depression, drug addiction, and suicidal thoughts. Over time, our posts will offer information relative to disorders, diagnosis, and treatment information. Let’s face it. None of us by ourselves is trained or confident to identify or alleviate extreme emotional trauma, but the writing in our Mental Health Encyclopedia may help facilitate important discussion. We believe a knowledgeable community plays an important role in helping students express themselves.
Life is a mirror and will reflect back to the thinker what he thinks into it. Ernest Holmes said this, but now its my students turn to reflect. They are writing visual analyses of images associated with their research papers. Did you know the average American woman is 5 feet 4 inches tall and weighs 140 pounds, but the average American model is 5 feet 11 inches tall and weighs 117 pounds? My students write about pressure and anxiety inflicted on us by the media. Rarely are women completely satisfied with what they see in the mirror. In this environment, hey develop unhealthy obsessions with their bodies that can lead to tragic circumstances. Our posts encourage young women to challenge these constraints, and be able to feel comfortable in their own bodies, no matter what. Others approach bipolar disorder, depression, teenage suicide from a variety of different angles. A picture is worth a thousand words.
Tortured Artists put it all out there for all of us to see, but with great art often comes great misery. The pressure to generate or perform can create inner turmoil and volatile personality. Our discussions in class on this subject began with Judy Garland who played Dorothy in “The Wizard of Oz.” After bursting on the Hollywood scene as a child star, she spend the rest of her life on drugs and alcohol trying to come down. At age 27, Kurt Cobain blew his head off with a shotgun. His suicide note implied it was the Ritalin he took as a child for attention-deficit disorder that propelled him to a life-long battle with heroin. Vincent van Gogh characterized his mania as a mixed blessing. His intense emotion spurred him on to produce a painting a day. He also chewed on tubes of oil paint and cut off his own ear. Here, we are inspired by the insanity of creativity. In the following pages our students explore the troubles that lie just beneath surface of our favorite artists.
Tattoos are visual arguments, personal statements. They tell us where a person stands. Here, students have been asked to develop a critical analysis of a tattoo of their choosing. Like in all of their writing, they will consider context. What do they know of the design? How does the tattoo impact the perception of the person wearing it? How does the tattoo connect with the person’s life? Who is the target audience? In answering these questions, writers will pay close attention to shapes, colors, and details. What are the first visual elements to catch the eye? What is the relationship between the image and any text that might accompany it?
Most of my students argue tattoos are an important/interesting form of self-expression.
OK. What is the wearer of the tattoo trying to say?
You are what you read.The first week of the semester students take the time to introduce themselves through their reading. We call it “Book Out of Your Past.” Instead of the brief mention of their hobbies and pets, they reflect upon a memorable literary experience. They post their fondest memories and greatest discoveries. We don’t really care what the book was about, but we want to know how this reading experience affected them. Often is the case, they find they are not alone in their appreciation of their selection. You might not judge a book by its cover, but here we learn what is often hidden inside of others.
Tortured Artists put it all out there for all of us to see, but with great art often comes great misery. The pressure to generate or perform can create inner turmoil and volatile personality. Our discussions in class on this subject began with Judy Garland who played Dorothy in “The Wizard of Oz.” After bursting on the Hollywood scene as a child star, she spend the rest of her life on drugs and alcohol trying to come down. At age 27, Kurt Cobain blew his head off with a shotgun. His suicide note implied it was the Ritalin he took as a child for attention-deficit disorder that propelled him to a life-long battle with heroin. Vincent van Gogh characterized his mania as a mixed blessing. His intense emotion spurred him on to produce a painting a day. He also chewed on tubes of oil paint and cut off his own ear. Here, we are inspired by the insanity of creativity. In the following pages our students explore the troubles that lie just beneath surface of our favorite artists.
Can you explain sacrifice? I mean how far are you willing to go? Ok, we all know sacrifice is the performance of an unselfish act. But, it’s not just about giving; it’s about giving everything. Did you see what Jack did for Rose at the end of the Titanic? How do people completely lose themselves to the need for revenge? Where does it come from? Where does it lead? It’s worse than an addiction to crack cocaine. Most people bent on revenge can’t stop until they’ve completely destroyed themselves and everyone around them. Have you experienced true love? It’s the craziest thing ever. It’s like getting hit by a truck! Who could possibly explain it, but when you feel it in your heart you know exactly what it is. Think of Allie and Noah in "The Notebook." Here, students have been asked to define an idea on their own terms. Instead of looking to the dictionary, they look to the big screen. They analyze, evaluate, and interpret their favorite characters and scenes. They write about true meaning.
Girl, Interrupted speaks to our hearts and minds. When we read this memoir during the semester I notice more students arriving earlier and leaving later. Everyone seems to have something to say. Author Susanna Kaysen writes of her turbulent teen-age years when she was creative, intelligent, and uncontrollable. We know that. We can see the beauty in her writing and also the anger. The closer people try to get to her, the more distant she becomes. Ultimately her parents commit her to MacLean Mental Hospital. This is the true-to-life story of a young girl who had it all and threw it away. No one knows why. Not even Susanna herself. Do you know anyone like that? My students seem like they do. In the following pages, they write with compassion and insight.
The Sixties were a time of change. We saw new hope with the election of John. F. Kennedy. The Civil Rights Movement created forward progress in diminishing racial injustice. The Beatles inspired an entire generation with peace and love. However, we also witnessed great tragedy. The assassination of President Kennedy and the escalation of the Vietnam War would forever alter our trust in our own government. The deaths of Marilyn Monroe, Bobby Kennedy, and Martin Luther King are clouded in conspiracy to this day. We look at Woodstock as an iconic event of the decade, but we will never forget Manson family massacre. My students follow the upheaval of the times through characters in the novels they read in class. Their research papers compare a seminal moment, event, person, or idea of the Sixties with a present-day counterpart. On the following pages look for students reflect upon the effect of hippie culture on today’s hip-hop culture. Have we learned anything from our experience in Vietnam? Look for writing that focuses upon our role in the Middle East. Can you see a relationship between JFK and Barack Obama? The Feminist Movement and today’s Gay Rights Movement? Janis Joplin and Taylor Swift? My students are going back to the future.
This is not your father’s essay. Not your mother’s, I tell my students. Not your typical English 101, five-paragraph essay. With this “Faces in the Crowd,” assignment, students profile an interesting, important figure in their own community. We use our writing to open up a greater discussion of social and political import. With first-hand research of an uncle’s minimum-wage job experience in the fields, for example, a student can better address the issue of worker rights. An interview with a former teacher can lead nicely into an insightful paper about educational reform. Here is our goal: to provide our own commentary, questions, interpretations, clarifications or even feelings of what we have read and heard. In other words, we take possession of our source and establishing our presence in our papers. The writing here reflects the diversity of student interest and concern regarding important issues in our community.
Just a Click Away: Read of our most recent Friends of the Earth plans and activities. Be informed. Stay connected. Direct from our students, you'll find writing that challenges as well as comforts.
Perfectly Imperfect - from Lemec Torres - English 110 In English 009, Lemec explored the stigma of mental illness in a class research paper. In English 110, she developed a community profile for a unique subject living in nearby Slab City. You will see a little bit of everything here in her Perfectly Imperfect blog
Deep EcoMatter - Cindy Huguez - English 009 It's been three days since the accident and I still can't sleep. Every time I close my eyes, I can hear the sound of the train approaching us, getting closer and louder, the wheels scraping on the metal train tracks, the pessimistic look of despair on their faces, and worst of all, the piercing scream that still haunts my ears
The Realist - Juana Bustos - English 009
My mother, the only parent I know, is both a mom and a dad to me. Both of my parents would work, but even then my father would demand for my mothers paychecks. He'd use that money to get totally wasted, and it went on for a while like this....
Brandy's World - Brandy Moya - English 008 In the book “Motorcycle Ride on the Sea of Tranquility” the most valuable part is when Chuy offered a ride to Yoli on his motorcycle through many places of the San Diego city. no. Yoli thought she hadn’t heard him right...
Sonia's - Sonia Sanchez - English 009 On November, 1993 both my father and brother started the Richard McGee Correctional Basic Correctional Academy....
English with Jay - Edna Romo - English 110 For America in the novel The Tortilla Curtain, Being married to Candido is like carrying a backpack full of bricks all day long....
COEXIST - Alejandra M. Lopez - English 009 My mother had struggled her whole life to make us happy. Being a single mother of two with two jobs was almost impossible yet it was her daily routine....
Lesly's World - Lesly Tirado - English 008 My father's addiction has had significant effects in my life. My father's alcohol abuse has made me realize what I want in my life and what I don’t want....
Queen K - Karissa Gomez - English 009 After the bell had rung, I quickly got to my seat, of course being tardy was probably a bad first impression because as soon as I picked a desk to sit at my teacher was glaring at me. He then began to yell at me saying how it was an essential to be on time to his class. This was my first encounter with my economics teacher and I already knew it was going to be a long year. Little did I know that Jack had a specific purpose in my life and although he was scary to me at first, he soon became my strongest adult in my life. As the years went by, I got to know Mr. Little and we became the greatest of friends. Once Jack Little passed away, I had a different perspective on the little amount of time we all have to live...
Lorena's Blog - Lorena Diaz, English 009 After living three years in this country, it was important for me to realize that I needed to go to school to learn English. I was feeling like I was illiterate and deaf. When my husband was in work I was afraid to answer the phone, or afraid to go outside. I remember the day when I had my first daughter, I was in pain in the hospital and my new born daughter was crying; the hospital was cold, with a pale color on the walls, and its smell was like alcohol. There were nurses walking on the long and bright hallway. You can hear the nurses talking morning and night. I couldn’t express myself and talk for my daughter that was crying...
You Are What Your Read
In this first section of Friends of the Earth,
students take the time to introduce themselves through their reading.
Instead of the brief mention of their hobbies and pets, they reflect on
a memorable literary experience. You might not judge a book by its cover, but here we learn
what is often hidden inside of others.