Reading and Writing for Social Justice: Looking at the World Through a Lens of Justice and Fairness

Prompt 1 - article that deals with injustice

The article “ ‘Why Don’t We Have Any White Kids?’ ” by N. R. Kleinfield of the New York Times tackles the issue of segregation in New York public schools. The article goes deep into segregation at a charter school in district 17 called Explore. Explore is very segregated. It’s student body racial make-up is “92.7 percent black, 5.7 percent Hispanic, and a scattering are of mixed race. None are white or Asian.” These numbers are shocking, but not uncommon in New York City schools. New York has one of the most segregated school systems in the country. Having such segregated systems, is a problem, it teaches certain groups privilege and others that they aren’t good enough to be with the other group.

Having segregated schools gives kids a bad message and leads kids to believe that the world is just as segregated as schools are. Studies show that diverse school environments have positive effects on a students success in school “ Decades of academic studies point to the corroding effects of segregation on students, especially minorities, both in diminished academic performance and in the failure to equip them for the interracial world that awaits them. “The preponderance of evidence shows that attending schools that are diverse has positive effects on children throughout the grades, and it grows over time,” said Roslyn Mickelson, a professor of sociology and public policy at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. Our schools are still segregated even after several legislative bills to integrate schools have been passed.
Students in segregated schools are shamed for behaviors that are not typically used by kids of a certain race in a particular school. One of the top students at Explore charter school, Amiyah Young was shamed by her peers for using more complex language. They called her ‘white girl’ because of the way she talks. She feels as if the school were more integrated with white kids “I think they would stop calling me white girl if there were white kids,” she said. “Because my skin is a little lighter and I can’t dance, they call me that. Some of them can’t dance, either.” She continues on to say that if the school was more integrated she could talk the way she wants. “Other students speak street slang that she repudiates: “They will say to me, ‘You are so white.’ I tell them, I have two black parents. Do I look white?’ ” Having a more integrated student body will prepare kids for a more integrated world once they graduate, and expose them to other cultures.

Reading this article makes me reflect upon my own school settings. My elementary school was predominantly white. I looked back at some old class pictures to see what the classes were like, and I was amazed. My fifth grade class had one black kid in it. Other years were slightly more diverse, but there was always a majority of white kids. Continuing on to middle school my classes continue to be undiverse. Although there are typically more kids of color in spanish, there are still many more white kids than there are black. I have never had more than five black kids in any of my classes in any given year of middle school. This year’s class includes one biracial kid, but other than that I have no other kids with African American parents. I think that personally learning in settings that are dominated by white kids has not helped me. I feel as if being constantly surrounded by people of my own racial make up has given me the wrong idea about how diverse the world outside is, especially in some professional fields. New York City should try to integrate school systems to create a better learning environment for all kids.

Article Citation:

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/13/education/at-explore-charter-school-a-portrait-of-segregated-education.html?pagewanted=1

Kleinfield, N. R. "‘Why Don’t We Have Any White Kids?’." The New York Times. The New York Times, 12 May 2012. Web. 30 Nov. 2014.

                                                                                                                        

Prompt 2- Situations I observe in school/parkslope (my neighborhood)

1. A girl takes a selfie, “You are SUCH a white girl”
2. A girl wears a revealing shirt “She’s a slut, why would she put out herself like that?”
3. A guy is afraid to try a risky activity with his friends “Don’t be such a pussy”
4. A group of friends go to starbucks, and then shopping “They are such white girls WTF!”
5. I visit my elementary school P.S. 321 and I see almost no minority kids
6. I see that there’s only one kid in my class with a parent that’s a person of color, my class is mostly white
7. I look in my neighborhood and see how much even it has changed since I was a kid because of gentrification

 
Today in pop culture a term that has become very popular is ‘White Girl’. I hear the phrase white girl thrown around a lot, even directed at me. I decided that before responding to the phrase ‘white girl’ I had to get a grasp on what a technical definition of a ‘white girl’ was. I looked to Urban Dictionary, a dictionary filled with definitions of phrases used in pop culture today. The definition I found to make the most sense was; “White Girl (noun) - A ‘white girl’ is usually defined as a caucasian [but also other races] teenage girl who is observed with the following traits: has an unhealthy obsession with Starbucks, desperately hits up her friends for likes on Instagram, overuses emojis, has a put-on ghetto dialect, takes a million selfies and deletes 99% of them, and enjoys crushing on a new boy every week. There are many more traits but to list them would be redundant. Be careful as they evolve constantly. One week they might love nutella, while the next they’ll disown it.” While there may be some element of truth in the ‘white girl’ phenomenon, why does society feel the need to label people so specifically, and how does labeling people ‘white girl’ affect them?

The phrase white girl makes me aggravated because I think that placing a label like ‘white girl’ on someone limits how they are viewed. For me there is something really wrong with the term white girl, and the problem starts with white. Saying white associates the term ‘white girl’ with being caucasian, but the term ‘white girl’ is supposed to be about the activities teenage girls of all races commonly partake in. I feel like it also confines young female white teenagers into being ‘white girls’. The next issue with this phrase is the girl part. One doesn’t have to be a girl to enjoy activities such as taking selfies, or drinking starbucks. Boys, and men can do all these activities, yet the term is ‘white girls’. Our society often separates what women and men can do in fear of women being too macho, or men being too girly.

My final issue with the term ‘white girl’ is that it is making assumptions. Just because I enjoy occasionally going to starbucks, I take a lot of selfies, and I have an instagram account, it doesn’t mean I identify with the ‘white girl’ category. I personally would rather be labeled for positive intellectual, and personality traits and qualities. By calling someone a ‘white girl’ it might limit what one will think of them. If being a white girl will mean someone thinks that I’m superficial because I take selfies, than that is a category that limits me. The term ‘white girl’ is a term that is said often, but it’s said with no thought of what its impacts are.

                                                                                                                        

Prompt 3: Interview

Matthew Gartner

C: What is good about our world?

M: I think that it’s really good that life evolved from non-life and that sentient life evolved, and that humans became capable of making jokes, and making other people laugh. They’ve done studies on the remains of early humans, and based on those studies they can tell how much humans died because of violent acts. And it was a high percentage. I’m glad that that doesn’t exist as much as today with the exception of ISIS. I’m glad that the quality of life has improved, and that the poverty levels are getting better. Glad that there is progress in the feminism movement, even though there is a lot of things that have to be done. I think there’s progress in the direction of justice and decency. And there’s a lot, a lot, a lot, a lot of decent people who are making the world better every day in small ways and big ways. And that’s an amazing thing. People in small ways every day that people go to work to make the world better. And you don’t have to be hugely special to make a difference. And when a lot of people make small differences it adds up to being a big difference. There’s also people who help the world to make a better place is by having kids and trying to raise their kids to be good people. It’s pretty amazing that you give up a big chunk of your life to get people going in the world, and make all kinds of sacrifices for their kids.

C: What is unfair about our world?

M: We just don’t live in a fair world, so the unfairness goes in every direction. Here’s one way the world is unfair half the people in the world have above average intelligence, and half of the people are below. Is that fair? Some people have x, and some people have 2x and some people have 10,000x and some people have -3x. Often people are so deeply wrapped up in there own issues and their own problems and their own suffering and it’s hard for them to connect with other people. And their suffering becomes their whole world to them. I think it’s really wrong that there are so many different levels of economic advantage and disadvantage. And there are rich countries, and poor countries and the life you can live in each country is really different. I think that there are a lot of people who are very fundamentalism in religion, and they would like to bring us back to a world that isn’t as modern. And people don’t believe in women having equal rights. And they don’t believe in science and what is true in the world. Also another thing that is really another major bad thing that is happening right now is that we are not paying attention to our planet. They’re not thinking about the implications of 7 million people. We’re using fossil fuels, and burning coal, and ruining our atmosphere.

One of the interesting things Matthew brought up was how poverty, and growing up in a country that’s not as economically prosperous can affect your opportunities in the world. I think that part of the root of this problem is that kids who come from low income households have the idea that because they don’t have a lot of money they can’t achieve great things. I also think that society greatly favors people who come from more rich backgrounds. The people who have power in this world are rich, and they therefore make the system work for them. In addition I think that growing up in poverty can be harsh on children, and it leads them to believe that the world is just as harsh so that they can’t have nice things.

The poverty gap, is huge and it’s a problem because so many families have so much, but so many families have so little as well. The recession hit many places hard and some people are able to recover from it, but many aren’t. As our country lost money people lost jobs, and that was the case in many places in the world. Now the rich get so much more than the poor just because they have the positions in power. Our world is becoming divided instead of one unit working together. The division is everywhere, in where you live, go to school, buy your clothes, go to college, where you work… And the list goes on. There is so much division just because of ones income.

The poverty in the US doesn’t compare to the poverty in other places around the world. Some 3rd world countries are so poor and don’t have anything. We are so lucky in the US to have what we have, but we can’t stop with our country, we have to expand on a global scale. People with more money have more opportunities in this world because today money = power. That system is not okay, everyone should have the same chance for the same jobs in this world regardless of how much money you have.

                                                                                                                        

Prompt 4 - Watching the news:

I watched ABC’s broadcast of the grand jury broadcasting of the decision if Officer Wilson should be endited.

I put myself in the shoes of Michael Brown’s parents for this.

To have your kid get shot, shot and then die because he was walking down the street. He died clean out no longer here with us dead. To be in that situation, each death all the parents hold their kids close, and pray that it won’t be them next. One after the other, as the world sits there and watches. There are brief periods of violence and protests but then it winds down, because no one, no one knows what it’s like to lose your kid until you lose them.

The man who killed our country goes without punishment, there isn’t enough evidence the grand jury says. Aren’t Trayvon Martin, Sean Bell and the countless others enough evidence? Look at the facts, look at the patterns, look at this country that we live in.  There is so much protest, so much noise about this, but the media is focusing on the protest itself, but not on our boy Michael Brown.

                                                                                                                        

Prompt 5 - interview:

I decided to interview my mom Madeline Rhum. My mom changes the world and helps people every day. My mother is a clinical therapist who runs her own practice. She truly inspires me because she works really hard and cares about her job, even though it can be really difficult and stressful for her. My mom also changes the world or my world on the parental front, she has been the greatest mom even though we fight a lot.

C: How do you help people in your job?

M: I help people every day with all kinds of emotional distress, I help them feel able to have better relationships with people in their lives, and feel more capable and confident in their work and their everyday experiences.

C: Do you enjoy helping people everyday?

M: Yes, sometimes it’s hard for me to keep myself emotionally present at times, and people are telling me about really horrible things they’ve endured. But I do like my work.

C: Why did you chose to do the work you do?

M: Because I had a strong feeling of wanting to help people. I’ve always been thoughtful of peoples feelings, and I’ve been emotionally there for them. But I really decided to become a therapist after I worked at a refugee camp in Thailand.

C: Do you think your job has ever saved anyone’s life.

M: Yes it has.

                                                                                                                        

Prompt 6 poem:

Adrienne Rich, "Aunt Jennifer's Tigers"

Aunt Jennifer's tigers prance across a screen,

Bright topaz denizens of a world of green.

They do not fear the men beneath the tree;

They pace in sleek chivalric certainty.

Aunt Jennifer's finger fluttering through her wool

Find even the ivory needle hard to pull.

The massive weight of Uncle's wedding band

Sits heavily upon Aunt Jennifer's hand.

When Aunt is dead, her terrified hands will lie

Still ringed with ordeals she was mastered by.

The tigers in the panel that she made

Will go on prancing, proud and unafraid.

(You can find the poem at http://writing.upenn.edu/~afilreis/88v/rich-jennifer-tiger.html )

Interpretation and analysis of poem:

The poem “Aunt Jennifer’s Tigers” by Adrienne Rich, is a clear representation of the feminist movement. Aunt Jennifer is doing her needlepoint, stuck doing a “woman’s job” or busy work with no intellectual value for her. She is weak, caught in a system where she has no power, but the tigers she embroiders are strong, representing her inner desire to be more than she is permitted by the world she lives in.

“Aunt Jennifer's tigers prance across a screen,

Bright topaz denizens of a world of green.

They do not fear the men beneath the tree;”

The tigers are strong and have no fear of what oppresses them (men). Aunt Jennifer doesn’t have the strength to break the system she’s stuck in so through her needle work she is able to break free.

The next grouping of phrases goes further into Aunt Jennifer’s situation. It leads the reader to see how being this feminine object whose purpose is to do tasks centered around the home life has made Aunt Jennifer’s life bleak.

“Aunt Jennifer's finger fluttering through her wool

Find even the ivory needle hard to pull.

The massive weight of Uncle's wedding band

Sits heavily upon Aunt Jennifer's hand.”

This is showing how being a woman, and being married, just because that was a proper thing to do, has weighed Aunt Jennifer down. It has made doing things in the world hard for her, because she is surrounded by a world where men are superior, and they have much, much more power than women.

The legacy of Aunt Jennifer is just of a lady who does ‘ladylike’ things, and that is all she will get to be. Although the tigers will continue to prance representing her inner desire to fulfill her potential to be something more, she will never have that, because she lives in a world where she can’t be someone bigger. Her hands will still feel the burden even after she is gone.

“When Aunt is dead, her terrified hands will lie

Still ringed with ordeals she was mastered by.

The tigers in the panel that she made

Will go on prancing, proud and unafraid.”

Today in the world women still face inequality. We live in a world dominated mostly by male figures of power. We have come a long way, but society today says men are superior to women although they never have and never will be. The poem “Aunt Jennifer’s Tigers” by Adrienne Rich explores that women have been limited in their access to power through the metaphor of needlepoint. The metaphor of needlepoint helps us to see how society has limited what women can do. The tigers show how women are strong and that we can be more, but we are shut down by a system that disables us. Today discrimination against women continues. We need to break down the barriers that limit us, and find our inner tigers.

Interesting video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UwJRFClybmk&list=PLTXiNEUzXWKT9xrbU3aUxqYloEL_W-8rr

                                                                                                                        

Prompt 7 Watching Old T.V.:

I watched the partridge family season one episode 18- Soul Club and episode 19- To play or not to play?

The partridge family was a show from the early 70’s so I thought it would be interesting to watch, and compare to modern television. The partridge family portrayed families and teens as if they were perfect. People my age were portrayed as responsible, caring, and family oriented, but sometimes slightly rebellious of their parents. Normal teens in the partridge family are white, and love to hang out in groups, they don’t do a lot of crazy things, they just enjoy each others company for most of the time. They live in nice houses generally with multiple stories just on the outskirts of their town. They are upper middle class, and always have food on the table. Their family is sweet and kind and although they fight sometimes it always gets worked out.

The portrayal of teens in television and movies makes me upset because it only shows one type of teenager, and doesn’t really portray what someone’s life is actually like. The portrayal of teens makes me think about how much the media and hollywood has made “perfect.” So many things not just in TV and movies but also in ads and commercials are changed just to make something look flawless. Very few people have the picture perfect life that is portrayed by the partridge family. Looking at the portrayal of the teens in the partridge family makes me feel confused, because when I look at them they have everything figured out, and I’m just trying to find myself as a person. Watching the Partridge family and looking at the portrayal of teens and families makes me know that the world is afraid to look at the un-perfect reality.

I feel like that through showing a family that has as good as a life as the partridge family many problems arise. One negative causation is that it makes people feel as if they aren’t doing well enough within their own families. It makes people see a reality that’s so appealing, but not true, and they’re going to get caught up trying to achieve something they can’t. Portraying teens this way isn’t accurate, because not everyone is so cookie cutter perfect. The teenage years are a time of self discovery, and not everyone can do that without making a few mistakes. I think there is a stereotype around families like the partridge family. I think it’s that they’re perfect, but in reality that isn’t true.

"Tex" Literary Essay

The book “Tex” by S. E. is about Texas McCormick a 15 year old boy living with his older brother Mason in the small town of Garysville. Tex and Mason’s mother died when they were young, and their father leaves them for two months every summer to go to rodeos. One summer, however, he is gone for over five months, until November, leaving Tex and Mason to look after themselves. This situation leaves Tex and Mason with conflict in their lives. When kids have to fend for themselves it can create chaos, and rip apart their lives.

When children have to provide for themselves it can cause them to have to give up aspects of their lives that are very important to them. When Tex and Mason run out of money and have to pay the gas bills they are forced to sell their horses, who are their prized possessions. " ‘I'm going to get my horse back,’ I said ‘Pop wouldn't let you sell those horses if he were here.’ ‘Pop isn't here!’ Mason shouted. ‘Can't you get it through your thick skull that all this happened because Pop isn't here!’ ”  This helps the reader understand how that the absence of their father has changed Tex and Mason’s lives and made them grow up quickly and have to deal with  things that teenagers generally don’t have to deal with.  Having to lose his horse makes Tex feel mad, and upset, and feel very alone. “I couldn’t seem to stop crying. I cried because I was hurting… I cried because Mason had never beaten me up before. Mostly we got along pretty good. Finally I thought about Negrito (Tex’s horse) being gone, and Pop being gone and I bawled like a baby.” Tex and Mason really depend on their father to take care of things as most adolesents do, and when they have to survive without him it causes conflict and upset in their lives. When parents aren’t present it causes kids to grow up more quickly than they should and to give up things that are important to them.

When parents are gone it can cause kids to feel estranged, but when parents return kids may accept them back into their family. One day Tex and Mason reflect on how long their father has been gone, “It doesn’t seem that long ago. He’s only been gone five (months) I guess he’ll be coming home pretty soon now.” This quote helps the reader to see how although Pop’s absence has been tough on them they still love him, and will accept them right back into their family.  When Tex and Mason’s father returns to them Tex remarks at how alienated the father seems to be. “Pop was a completely separate person from us. I don’t know exactly how to explain it.  He was just the same as he always was, but he was unconnected. Almost like he was a visitor.” This shows the reader how although Tex welcomes back his father, he feels as if he is not as constant in his life. It helps the reader how Pop’s absence has affected the boys emotionally not just physically. When parent’s aren’t present it will separate them from their kids not just physically, but also emotionally, and even though the kids may still love them it will further divide a family.

 Although when Tex, and Mason’s father returns they accept him back into their family, they still feel tension between them. Mason feels completely betrayed by Pop, and isn’t willing to accept him into the family as quickly as Tex is. When Tex pulls a prank at school and Pop doesn’t make a big deal about it Mason feels that Pop is being irresponsible. “Then think about me! For God’s sake, how do you think I feel seeing you being ‘nice’ to him like you’d be ‘nice’ to a goddamn stray puppy! While I’m the one who has to look out for him and what’s going to happen when I’m not here?” The reader can see Masons uncertainty about Pop in the way he explodes. It is clear that Pop’s absence has been really hard for Mason and Tex, and it has affected them majorly. Mason continues to feel upset with Pop when Pop is surprised that they had to sell their horses because they needed money. “I know you never thought about the money. The good-sized hunk shrunk real quick when Tex fractured his arm last May and we didn’t have any insurance. We both had jobs, yeah. Summer jobs. It hasn’t been summer for a while now. And whether you planned it or not, you’ve been gone this long.” This helps the reader to understand how hard Pop being gone has been for Mason. It shows that although the boys love Pop there is still hesitation about him being back and whether or not they can trust him. Even when parents return tension, and division between the parents and kids still lingers.  

Kids tend to depend on their parents, and when their parents are gone it can be really tough on them emotionally, mentally, and physically. When Pop leaves Mason and Tex for an extended period of time it really affects them, and turns their lives upside down. I could never imagine what my life would be without my mom, it really goes to show that sometimes it’s hard to appreciate what you have until it’s gone.

"Boy 21" Synthesis Page

Here's an old synthesis page that I forgot to post!

"Ready Player One" Essay

When people are feeling glum or isolated, we often find comfort in electronic activities. They're a place where you can distract yourself with something or someone else. Picture it, you're feeling particularly upset, and there seems to be no cure, except to sit in front of the T.V. and munch on your favorite snack, while getting absorbed by the make believe lives presented on screen. This is a familiar scene for many people. Ernest Cline’s “Ready Player One” is the story of Wade, a boy in his teens in a dystopian 2044, who spends most of his days on the OASIS an online virtual world, where there are no limits (literally!) It’s not only Wade who spends his time on the OASIS, but practically the entire population. When the creator of the OASIS passes away, a contest to find a virtual easter egg hidden within the game is announced. The winner of this competition will inherit his multi billion dollar savings. Wade is among one of the many people who is searching for the easter egg. Wade spends all of his time on the internet, not just trying to find the easter egg, but escaping his bleak reality. The internet has become a comfort for Wade, and many people, when the world is just too harsh, and tough to bear, and he learns that the attraction of the internet can be hard to beat although he eventually does.

         Throughout the book we see how completely immersed Wade has become in the virtual world. Wade is constantly on the internet, and doesn’t partake in any other activities, including lots of activities that we would consider a part of our everyday lives. For example Wade goes to school in the OASIS, “My avatar materialized in front of my locker on the second floor of my high school... I glanced up and down the hallway. My virtual surroundings looked almost (but not quite) real. Everything in the OASIS was beautifully rendered in three dimensions.” (Pg 27) This lets the reader know how virtualized the world is, and how limited human contact is. It also suggests at what our world may become, and what it seems it's already started to become. In addition almost all exchanges with people are online, and all of Wade’s friends he only knows through the internet, and not in real life. This shows that Wade lives his life almost entirely online. This also makes us see how widespread the obsession with the online world has become. Throughout the book we see how electronic the world has become.

         When Wade feels alone, and isolated from human contact, he seeks refuge in the OASIS. Wade doesn’t have any friends from real life, but only from the OASIS, including his best friend Aech. “Despite what I’d said to Aech, knowing that I was about to meet him in person after all these years made me more nervous than I already wanted to admit. (pg 320)” This shows how Wade feels alone, and spends all of his time on the internet, because he has never had any friends in his ‘real’ life. In addition the quote “Being human totally sucks most of the time. Video games are the only thing that make life bearable. (pg 10)” is an almost literal translation of the previous statement that ‘when reality is too hard to bear, people often go to the internet for comfort.’ This informs the reader that because Wade has never had the opportunity to really connect with others off the internet, or while he hasn’t been online, he feels that being human “totally sucks most of the time.” When people find that reality is too hard to bear they often try to escape reality on the internet.

         Although the internet may be a temporary solution for one’s unhappiness, fake connections will never beat real ones. This is shown after Wade meets his long time virtual best friend Aech, and begins to feel the joys of a face to face relationship. “ 'Are we going to meet them now?’ I asked, doing an extremely poor job of hiding my apprehension.” This shows growth in Wade, because he realizes that going on the internet may have been a fun pass time, but actually being with others, and seeing your friends in real life is much better. The idea that real connections over weigh electronic ones become clear to Wade, after he wins the easter egg contest. After he has won he is taught a lesson by a pre programed avatar of the creator of the OASIS “ ‘I created the OASIS because I never felt at home in the real world. I didn’t know how to connect with the people there. I was afraid, for all of my life. Right up until I knew it was ending. That was when I realized, as terrifying and painful reality can be, it’s also the only place where you can find true happiness. Because reality is real. Do you understand?’ ” This shows that Wade may fully be able to have a life that isn’t filled with the superficial/ temporary happiness that is brought to him from being constantly online. It can be confusing and difficult to make, and keep relationships with people, because real people are complicated and we can't control each other. Although the real world may have ups, and downs, it also will make us feel true emotion, and that is something that is hard to really feel from electronic activities.

         When people feel overwhelmed with their real lives, they can escape reality by going online, and they often do. This may be a seemingly fun remedy, but as is shown in Ernest Cline’s “Ready Player One” the happiness that is gotten from living in a virtual world ultimately doesn't measure up to the happiness that is gotten through real relationships. Talking to people, and forming bonds that exist in the real world, are better than letting the internet become our real world. The society we live in today is so electronically oriented, and it seems that we are going in the direction of a world where our online connections outweigh our real ones. Earnest Cline's "Ready Player One" reminds us, that although reality can be rough, it's real, and it's the only place where we will find true happiness. The next time it may seem easier to escape to the internet instead of being in reality, ask yourself if you're just trying to avoid living in the real world around you.

"Ashes" Literary Essay

Parent rivalries often confuse a child about the difference between what he/she wants, and what he/she needs. In Susan Beth Pfeffer's short story "Ashes" we are introduced to a family who has been through a complicated divorce. Our main character Ashes (a teenage girl) is asked to steal money from her mother by her father. Ashes must decide whether or not she will steal the money from her mother for father, causing her to pick a side. Her mother is a practical woman who always provides for Ashes, even if it doesn't make her happy in the short term. Her father on the other hand is a dreamer always flattering Ashes, and making her promises that he can't keep.  Susan Beth Pfeffer's "Ashes" shows us that what we want from our parents may not always be the best thing for us, and that making the decision between what we want and what we need isn’t easy.        

In a relationship between a child and a parent, the child may prefer, one parent over the other. At the beginning and throughout the short story, Ashes shows how much she loves her father. She says "That winter, it felt like every time I saw my father, the sun cast off a little more warmth than it had the day before." This piece of textual evidence shows how exuberant her father makes Ashes feel, and shows how much love she has for her father. This makes the reader understand that although Ashes doesn’t live with her father, that she is able to maintain a close and loving relationship with him. Although Ashes would like to depend upon her father, he is not always trying to provide for Ashes, and is not everything she needs in a parent. "Dad used to promise me the stars for a necklace, but like most of his promises, that one never quite happened… Dad gets by on a grin and willingness to help… The world might be a better place, but child support checks don’t always show up on time, and I never did get that necklace made of stars.” This helps the reader see that although Ashes loves her father very much, she also recognizes that he can be what her mother calls an “irresponsible bum.” It also helps the reader to see that Ashes wants to believe that her father is going to come through, but doesn’t have have much faith in him. This is an example of how, what you want in a parent might not always be what you need.

       On the other side, the relationship with a parent, may not always be what you want. Ashes’s mother provides her with the support she needs, but Ashes prefers her father who lathers her with feel-good compliments. "She's (Ashes's mom) the most practical person I know always putting aside for a rainy day... The flashlight with working batteries for a blackout. The extra quarters for laundry that isn't quite dry." This shows how practical her mother is. She is always prepared and ready for the unexpected. It also helps the reader to see that Ashes may take her mother’s practical guidance for granted, causing to prefer her more seemingly enticing father. It becomes even clearer to the reader that Ashes prefers her dad when she says "Mom might never be caught without batteries or tissues, but she just called me Ashleigh- a name she didn't even like- and never promised me anything." This shows, that although Ashes recognizes her mother's preparedness, she is oblivious to how it helps her, causing her to favor her father. This is a clear example of how what may seem more exciting and promising, may not be the best choice for yourself.

      Although Ashes seems to lean toward her seemingly more exciting father, she grows throughout the story to realize that what you want is not always what you need. It may be hard to distinguish what we want from what we need ultimately we are going to have to make a decision, and that will affect who we are. Towards the end of the story, Ashes’s dad asks her to "borrow" 200 dollars from her mother’s teapot of money for a rainy day. Ashes is put in a position of vulnerability, where she must decide between her father's lack of stability, and her mothers pragmatic attitude. She has many difficulties deciding which side she will take, and although we are not told which side she does go to, it seems to suggest it will be her mothers side. At the very end of the story while making this decision Ashes says "It always felt a little colder when mom wasn't there. Even with the lights turned on, it seemed a little darker." This shows growth in Ashes, and having new feelings that she didn’t have at the beginning of the story. As she discovers these new feelings, she is able to recognize that what she needs will ultimately lead to the best outcome, and this brings her a different form of warmth and comfort. It also shows that Ashes can fully appreciate the love her mother gives her, even though that love is shown in a different way from her father’s love. In addition we can see how Ashes leans towards her mom, as she gets closer to her final decision. "I stood over the teapot and stared at the money. Mom's emergency money. Her earthquake money. Her Martian money." This shows that Ashes appreciation for her mom continues to grow, and she becomes hesitant of stealing for her father. Ashes realizes that although her mother’s preparedness may seem petty, and even irrational, it is an indication of how much she cares. These pieces of evidence seem to amount to the ultimate decision of Ashes choosing what she needs. Although it may not always be what you want, overtime figuring out what you need will change things for the better. We come to understand not only how difficult the decision is, but how it will ultimately effect you.         The things we want are not always what we need, this is something everyone feels, even in the simplest forms. An example that comes to mind is in friendships. A friend that is super, fun, and who it seems you have a ‘perfect’ relationship with may be what you want, but a friend who you can openly communicate with, and has seen your weaknesses, may be better. This is an example of what Ashes has to face, just on a different scale. The idea that what we want isn't always what we need, is a hard idea for many people, and a major focus of the short story "Ashes". I think this text not only speaks to the difficulties of coming from a split home, but really talks about the internal battle that comes from figuring out what is best for us. Susan Beth Pfeffer's short story "Ashes" is about the difficulties of coming from divorced parents, and the havoc within us between what we want and what we need.

"Every Day" Literary Essay

Over the summer, I read many books. One that I particularly enjoyed is called “Everyday” David Levithan. Everyday is the story of a budding romance, with a slight twist. The romance is between a girl named Rhiannon, and a character named A. The plot twist is that A wakes up in a new body everyday. One day A wakes up in the body of Rhiannon’s boyfriend, and A feels a connection, and so does Rhiannon. Through this difficulty of A switching bodies, A and Rhiannon manage to come together and create something beautiful. There are many reasons why I love Everyday, and why it is an important book to me.

         One thing about Everyday that I loved was the complexity of the characters. Throughout the book you met many characters although a few stay constant. If you take the character of Reverend Poole for example, that is such a complex character. Reverend Poole wants A to join the movement of captivating a body and staying in it. Reverend Poole is a complex character that has really been weathered down and beaten up by the circumstances of their life. He feels pain, and takes it out, literally stealing someone’s life. Or take Rhiannon. She is a character with so much complexity. She is taken advantage of by her boyfriend, (Justin) and it’s such a routine for her to be taken advantage of, she likes it. Rhiannon is a complicated character for many reasons. Another complicated character is A. A doesn’t feel loved, and feels like there’s no place that A belongs. The complexity of the characters is something that I really like in Everyday.

        Another component of Everyday that I really like is the concept of the book, and the idea of switching bodies everyday. This part of the book is so cool. It is mindblowing, and hard to wrap my mind around, it makes me feel empathy for A, because that would be a hard life. I also really liked how David Levithan included the component of love in the book, that made it so much more interesting and exciting, and really helped me empathized with A. The idea of finding love in the hardest and most random situations is both beautiful and true. Another part of the structure of the story that I really liked was the "evil." This helped me keep on the edge of my seat, and made me feel more emotions. Not only could I feel jubilance for A, I could also feel fear too.

       All in all, Everyday was an amazing book that took me on a journey filled with many emotions and plot twists. All different subtle things that David Levithan did in his writing came together to create a wonderful book that really made me think.