Unfairness and Inequality

        Unfairness and inequality is shown in different ways throughout books. Through books I have read, fairness and equality are factors left out. Often times in books racism, and hate crimes are shown to people who have different skin colors then us. In books, fairness and equality is shown very poorly.
       One way unfairness and inequality is shown poorly in books is by other characters picking on a kid who was a different skin color. in the book "Leverage" the main character see's people who are African American and Chinese get picked on but he just walks away from the scene. In these scenes the bully is mad at the kid for not doing his homework and calls him racist names. This is an example of inequality. The kids who are getting bullied did nothing wrong they were  just helping the bully out. This is one example of how unfairness and inequality is shown in books.
       Another way unfairness and inequality is shown throughout books is through the big kids of the school, and the "nobodies." In the same book, "Leverage," one of the main characters is on the football team. Him and his friends own the school social-wise. They get all of the girls, fame, and popularity. The other main character is a little puny kid on the gymnastics team. He notices the unfairness of how the big jocks in the school pick on the little guys. This is another way unfairness is shown throughout books. The little kids of the school get taken over by the big football players who work there butts off on the field, but not outside of it.
         Finally, the last way that unfairness and inequality is shown through books is by the mood of the book. Unfairness is shown in between the lines. In the book "Night John" the main problem is slavery. The author never says that what the master of the plantation is doing is horrible but hints it. He puts signals like long hours in the field, and whipping the slaves. Unfairness is shown in between the lines of books. A lot of the time the author makes the reader think about the problem being shown but not just saying it.
      Unfairness and inequality is shown throughout many books. It is shown between the lines however. Racism, and size difference make up the vast problem of inequality. I think that unfairness and inequality are a big thing shown in most books.

TRASH

Reading the World 

TRASH

One of my biggest pet peeves is seeing people leave their food on the floor after eating it. It is unfair, unkind, and just disrespectful. I hate seeing people throwing candy wrappers, and chip bags on the floor. I hate seeing people drop their empty water bottles in the middle of the block, and most of all, I hate seeing the dirty city streets.

One day, while I was playing soccer at Washington Park, I noticed a group of people sit down at an area nearby, and start eating lunch. The area before that was spotless, due to the sanitation worker who had just left the field. I couldn't help but keep glancing at them eating. They had chips, candy, water bottles, and a whole bunch of junk food. After about fifteen minutes or so, they got up and left. That area, that was spotless twenty minutes, was now filled with all different types of trash. It hurts me to see something like this happen. These people will now have workers pick up their trash for them, when all they had to do is walk twenty feet to a garbage can. This is very unfair, and unkind.

While walking back from camp one day in manhattan, I looked around at the streets surrounding me, and couldn't believe my eyes. There was trash everywhere! There were plastic bags, cardboard boxes, candy wrappers, and all other different types of trash. At the time, I couldn't  believe it because just that morning, these streets were fairly clean. Now they were filled with trash. I think this is very unfair and mean. People don't have the common courtesy to pick up their own trash, and they don't think about the people who do pick up their trash. Its not just the people who have to pick up after them that suffers, it's also the people who left the trash there. This trash is hurting our earth, and making the city streets filthy. This is unfair, and mean.

According to the book Its Kind of a Funny Story by Ned Vizzini, the author illustrates a clear picture of what the city streets look like according to the character. Vizzini says that there is trash everywhere and the streets were very dirty. I agree with this description. Other people need to recognize that littering is unacceptable. not only does it hurt us, but it hurts every person that has to walk around that banana peel that you threw on the ground, or that last bite of bagel that you couldn't finish. This is very unfair, and irresponsible. 

I believe that everyone has to clean up after themselves. It is unfair for others to clean what they ate. Also, I believe this is irresponsible. People have to clean up after themselves. They can't just throw all different wrappers on the floor and forget about it. Seeing people litter, and dirty city streets make me think, would I like living in a garbage-filled city?

Non fiction reading response to Darkness too visible

The article Darkness Too Visible from the Wall Street Journal is mainly about why books with drugs and other bad things should not be on shelves of public schools. One way she supports this is by saying that kids who read these types of books are left an image in their mind that is harmful to them and could damage their life. Another way she supports her main idea is by stating some of the most banned books and why she thinks they should stay banned. One thing that the author says is "a girl's spiral into drug addiction, rape, prostitution and a fatal overdose." Here she is trying to show the reader that books that deal with bad topics for kids should not be on the shelves of public school libraries. She ends with the idea that no parent should let their kid read these types of books because they could damage the way the kid thinks, and how they act.

Meghan Cox Gordon uses many craft moves to emphasize that books about dark topics should not be on public school library shelves. One craft move she uses is uses very strong adjectives to enhance the way she feels about the topic. Another craft moves she uses is she concludes each paragraph with a wrap up of what the paragraph was about.

I disagree with what Meghan Cox Gordon is saying. I believe if kids see what happens when their character takes drugs and drinks alcohol than that will make the kids not want to do it even more. I think that it should be the kids choice to decide. I noticed the article was written for the parents, not as much the kids and i think that she should have gotten a kids opinion. Another reason i disagree with what she is saying is because when kids see these problems that the characters have the appreciate what they have more.

You Never Know When Your Actions Can Hurt You

       Have you ever been in a situation where you just don't know what to do? Anita in Before We Were Free taught me that sometimes the best way to solve a problem is to just let it happen. She shows me this in many problems that come her way.

         One way that Anita solves her problem by just being silent and just by going with the flow is  when the police come to her house. At first she has no idea what to do because this has never happened to her before. In addition she didn't even know what was going on. She goes with what everyone else is doing, stays quiet, and eventually the police are out, and the decoys are released. This shows that if you be quiet, go with what everyone else is doing, and don't ask questions your problem will be solved.

         Another way where Anita solves a problem by just going with the flow and staying quiet is when her cousin leaves to go to New York City. At first she doesn't know how to react because it all just happened so fast. She can’t get the words out to say goodbye because she doesn't believe this was it. So she just stays quiet, stays close to her mother and holds her crying in until she gets home. This shows that sometimes the best way to be strong is to as well be quiet and stay close to the people you know. You never know when your actions can hurt you.

         In late October of 2012, Hurricane Sandy destroyed New York. I was sitting on my couch with my family listening and watching the horrific view outside our warm house. My mother finally decided she had enough of the natural disaster outside and decided to make some warm popcorn to lift our hearts. My whole family went into our kitchen when we heard a huge BOOM! outside. We all jump but acted like we didn't hear it and just went along with our business. My brother on his phone seeing all of the facebook statuses, my sister on her phone as well checking the facebook statuses, and my mom watching the television about the news around New York. The wind outside was pounding against my window like a never eating drum beat. Rain filled the streets flooding the road. I think it was around 9:30 when my sister glanced outside and noticed the huge tree covering our house. My sister yelled “MOM, CAM, BRANDON COME” We all hurried over to the window to see the huge tree blocking our view and all the branches and twigs covering our stairs and door. My mom was so confused about what to do at the time. Me, my sister, and my brother all just stayed quiet and returned to what we were doing. Eventually the storm passed and the workers came to clean up the tree. Sometimes I wonder what could have happened if one of us decided to go outside and check the tree, or if someone didn't just stay calm. Would my family still be here today?