Upfront Moral Rights Response Essay: “Are We Still Fighting The Civil War?”

The article “Are We Still Fighting The Civil War?” by Alessandra Potenza is about how even though the Civil War has long past, many people are still fighting for their side all over the United States.  I believe that people should not still be fighting about the civil war.  Everything regarding it should be settled by now.  Everyone should accept each other for the way that they are.  But this all is not true, there are still some people that do not believe in equality and there are people who oppose them.  These different ways of thinking cause fights.  These fights will go on for a long time, but the best thing we can do is to try to encourage equality, fairness, and kindness, and also try to see other people’s point of view.

One example of a fight is in Florida.  The fight is not about the reasons of the civil war, it is about a monument.  “The skirmish recently broke out in Olustee, west of Jacksonville, when the Sons of Union Veterans asked officials to place an obelisk to honor Union troops in a state park where three other memorials honor Confederate soldiers.  The park commemorates the Battle of Olustee—Florida’s bloodiest Civil War battle—where nearly 2,000 Union and 1,000 Confederate troops were killed or wounded in 1864.”  After this request many people were against the idea and tried to get rid of it.  I believe that this is unfair and unethical.  During the battle more Union soldiers were killed or injured than Confederate soldiers, and there are already three Confederate Memorials, so why should people protest one Union Memorial being put up, it only seems fair.

            Another example of a controversial topic is the Confederate flag.  Many people still flaunt this flag on clothing, cars, license plates, houses, and more.  Some see it as a symbol of southern pride, while others see it as a symbol of discrimination.  Kanye West has worn the flag himself, and put it on his clothing that he sells.  This has really sparked controversy.  Black leaders and civil rights groups have called for boycotts of his merchandise.  Kanye West told the radio, “I took the Confederate flag and made it my flag.”  I think that he either thinks it is a cool looking graphic for his clothing, or he thinks that the fact that he is black and using it gives black people power.  He might believe that it is like the “n” word; if black people use it, it takes away the meaning of it. On the contrary, Obama believes that the flag belongs in a museum.  He wants to move past it and let it be history.

Why continue fighting a war that killed 620,000 Americans?  Anyone can plainly see that war damages us.  “One reason, historians say, is that the conflict is perceived very differently in different parts of the country.”  Many Southerners have monuments of Confederate leaders from the war.  They take pride in their history.  Many Northerners and African-Americans view these monuments as racist, and disrespectful.  We are not going to forget about history, but we can try to help people see others views in a non-judgmental way.  Lawmakers are trying to find middle ground, and everyone is trying to help get past this fight.  According to Council President Corey Bowie, “Once we can appreciate both ends, then we can move past this.”  I agree with him in the fact that we should try to see other peoples way of thinking and appreciate it even if we don’t agree with it.

Barcelona and Real Madrid, A Soccer Rivalry

Barcelona and Real Madrid are two of the best clubs in the world of football.  The teams are from the two biggest cities in Spain.  They have had a rivalry since the early 1900s.  Their matches have a special name, "El Clasico", and hundreds of millions of people watch them.  Real Madrid has won 90 matches, and Barcelona has won 87, but Barcelona has won 81 trophies while Real Madrid has won 76.  Their matches are very intense, and fights can break out.

Lionel Messi is on Barcelona, and Cristiano Ronaldo is on Real Madrid.  They are both considered to be one of the best soccer players in the world.  Messi has 18 goals overall while Ronaldo has 12.
There are heated debates online from fans about who is a better player.

Overall both teams are very evenly talented.  They are both great teams.  Real madrid has the most wins currently by 3 matches, and Barcelona could easily gain that back.  These two teams rivalry will last forever.

Martin Espada Essay

Martin Espada is a Latino poet born in Brooklyn, NY to a Jewish Mother and a Puerto Rican father.  He abandoned his work as a lawyer to fulfill his dream to be a writer and a teacher.  He explores tough Latino issues through his poetry.  He is a revolutionary and instead of using violence to change prejudice against Latinos, he uses words.

In the poem, “Two Mexicanos Lynched in Santa Cruz, California, May 3, 1877”, Espada through his selective choice of words, forcefully takes the reader, in the first stanza, back to a day in 1877, when two Mexicanos are lynched.  “More than the moment/ when forty gringo vigilantes/ cheered the rope/ that snapped two Mexicanos/ into the grimacing sleep of broken necks.”  He does this to draw us in to the horrific injustices against the two Mexicanos.  He then reinforces our vivid picture by comparing the floating to hanging meat in a slaughterhouse.  We then soften to the Virgen de Gaudalupe’s blessings, and hear the two Mexicanos playing the guitar on La Dia de Los Muertos.  Finally we are left with an image of the lynching party, more worried about getting their picture taken, than having any remorse.

 In Espada’s poem, “Revolutionary Spanish Lesson”, he exposes prejudice towards other cultures, in such an understated way.  Again, he states the problem at the very beginning, “Whenever my name/ is mispronounced”.  He then proceeds to tell us what it makes him want to do.  “I want to buy a toy pistol,/ put on dark sunglasses,/ push my beret to an angle,/ comb my beard to a point”  He gives the reader such a clear picture of what he looks like.  He seems somewhat docile because of his toy pistol, but then hijacks a busload of Republican tourists from Wisconsin and has the swat team after him.  The reader fully understands how important it is to pronounce his and all other Latinos’ names correctly.  He is a revolutionary, trying to change the way people approach other cultures.  If someone doesn’t even take the time to learn how to say someone’s name, are they really trying to understand them and their culture?

Espada continues to try to change prejudice through his poem, “The New Bathroom Policy at English High School.  This short, concise poem takes place in a High School bathroom, and uncovers a prejudice toward others, especially if they speak a different language and can’t understand them. It also reveals how many deal with feeling vulnerable by using power to control the situation instead of taking the time to understand it.  This is exemplified when the paranoid Principal upon hearing his name mentioned amongst the chatter, decides, “ to ban Spanish in the bathrooms/Now he can relax.”

Martin Espada is a revolutionary.  He isn’t afraid of controversial content; he is willing to look where others will not dare.  His goal is simple- with his words he wants to illuminate and eliminate all of the injustices in the world today.

Leven Thumps Reading Response

There is a lot of injustice in the book Leven Thumps and The Gateway to Foo.  Both Leven and Winter have very unkind parents.

Their parents see them as pests and just another mouth to feed.  For example in the book it says, "As Janet would stuff her face, Winter would sit their with nothing but her usual dinner: a half dozen peas, which Janet had usually picked from her meal, a single crust of bread, and a spoonful of sugar-free strawberry jam- sugar free because Janet had once read how bad sugar was for children."  All they do is keep their children alive, they don't provide love or care.

It is really unfair that their parents get all this stuff and they don't get anything.  For example the children only have one pair of clothes that they have to wear everyday.  It isn't fair because it ruins their self-image at school, people make fun of them and they don't have any friends.   It could be understandable if the parents couldn't afford more clothes, but they can and they just choose not too.

Leven and Winter have miserable lives due to this unkindness.  This kind of parental treatment can cause kids to run away, or do other bad things.

Social Justice Project Entry

 v Think about one of the following: Movies, TV Shows, and Young Adult Fiction.  Think about how people your age are portrayed.  What are “normal” teens supposed to look like?  What race are they (generally)?  Where do they live?  How much money do they have?  What is their family like?  Write about what you think about the images portrayed in Movies, TV, or YA.  Do you think these are accurate portrayals of the way young people live in our world?  Do they perpetuate stereotypes or break them?

If you look at the majority of movies today that are supposed to portray teens, most of them are way off the mark.  The majority of teens are white, rich, “beautiful”, skinny, and live in fabulous homes, and if old enough, drive fabulous cars.  These are very inaccurate portrayals of teenagers.  Most real teens don’t have perfect hair, flawless complexion, and white teeth.  Adolescence is a difficult stage of life, so most have some acne, or “unattractive” body shapes.  Occasionally, in a movie you will see an overweight person, or someone with pimples, but they always play the weirdo’s.  When kids see these “perfect” people, they think that they have to be “perfect” too.  They try to change themselves so that they will be seen as more pretty.  They become hard on themselves, and convince themselves that they are ugly.  Society should show teens how they really are.  Not everyone is perfect, and if you aren’t, there is nothing to be ashamed of.