Fahrenheit 451-So Far

Fahrenheit 451 is Ray Bradbury’s prediction of life in the United States in the future. This story is told in Guy Montag’s view, a firefighter living in the futuristic society. So far, I find this book quite enjoyable because of Bradbury’s interesting sense of imagination. Through various descriptions of machines and other new technological advances that almost seem scary, Bradbury is able to keep me captivated. Many of his predictions about the future are shockingly relatable to this generation in terms of being glued to our electronic devices. Through subliminal messaging it almost seems as if the book is actually a forewarning about how different and bad our lives might get if we allow technology to control our lives. I also enjoy reading this book just because the futuristic society is so odd and easily manipulated. It is sad to see that the characters don’t even need one another to live what they think are happy lives because they solely rely on technology. The way that the characters mix reality and fantasy is almost repulsive, but their ignorance adds to my enjoyment of the book.  

Although the idea of the book is intriguing, I find the way it is written to be quite confusing. Bradbury doesn't allot time to fully describe the fascinating technology, and instead talks about it as if it was a part of our everyday life and was no big deal. But other times when we are given a full description of an interesting object or occurrence, we are distracted from the actual plot. Even though there are these minor faults in detailing, the overall book so far is very good.

274 words

Hiding the reservation

Because Whitney Young is so diverse, I do not think that students hide a lot of their reservation unless they think or know that their economic status is extremely far behind from their peers', because no matter what you do in life, I think economic status plays a big role in how people judge you. I think we at Whitney Young are less judging than other more neighborhood schools may be, but there is judgment nonetheless. I do not think that students really hide the fact that they are poorer or have more money than others, but try to avoid talking about it so they do not feel like they deserve special treatment or are seen as snobby. Another thing I notice is that many students of nonwhite decent try to hide or make less noticeable the quirks that may bring racist stereotypes upon them. Even though the school is so diverse, I feel students stick more with others of the same race because they are more accepting of each other than multiracial groups may be because of cultural differences.

Jr at Whitney Young

If Junior went to Whitney Young, I think he'd feel more accepted than at Rearden. Because Rearden is a neighborhood school, most of its students are of similar social class and rank and it is pretty crucial to conform so that you can fit in. Whitney Young, on the other hand, has a larger and more diverse population of students so there would be a better chance of Junior finding at least one group of friends to hang around with, without having to hide his background. Our school is also more accepting, and although many groups that are based on race stick together, I think more groups are based on similar interests. I think Junior would have a fair amount of friends, mostly sticking to the quieter, nerdy crowd, but also with some of the basketball players or jocks. Due to their smaller crowds and quieter surroundings, I think Junior would hang out in gold or green house in the morning, and probably study or have quiet time during lunch in blue house or the library. Although Whitney Young students are fairly accepting because they all come from different backgrounds, I feel that Junior would still have to hide the fact that he is so poor because all people are judging. Students of the same economic status or race may be accepting of each other, but they may not be accepting of different people.

American Dream Comparison

Although the characters in the Great Gatsby and A Raisin in the Sun are of different races and lived in different time periods, they both had similar ideas of the American Dream. Both Walter’s and Gatsby’s notion of the American Dream stemmed off of having a better life through a materialistic perspective. Both stories seem harmless in describing the life of a self-made man who starts with nothing and achieves great wealth through hard work, but when this money and power become everything in the eyes of these men, the idea can become malevolent.

Walter in A Raisin in the Sun is very greedy and only thinks of himself when it comes to making or getting money. He is envious of others’ wealth because he desperately wants to get out of the situation he and his family is in. Despite warnings from Ruth about starting a business with a man of questionable character and from Mama about the morality of running a liquor store, Walter went right ahead with his plan because he badly wanted to achieve his goals. The liquor store was supposed to be the means of getting Walter the money he always dreamed of having, but his dreams didn’t come true when he got scammed because of his naivety. He had no sense of morals and was emotionally detached because of his strive for money. Even when Mr. Lindner made his racist and degrading offer to the family for not moving into the new house, Walter seriously considered taking it just because he could get back some of the money he had lost.

Gatsby in the Great Gatsby had a similar idea of the American Dream also based off of money from liquor. Although Walter never really got the wealth he always dreamed of, Gatsby came from a poor family and was able to rise to the top of wealth. He was also looking for a life better than the one he grew up with; A life filled with fortune and materialistic wealth. But when Gatsby met Daisy, she ultimately became his American Dream. From then on he, did everything he could to please her and have her as his own. This went to the extent that, just like Walter, Gatsby was naïve and didn’t listen to Nick’s advice that he couldn’t relive the past. He refused to see Daisy’s faults and saw that she could do no wrong. However, similar to Walter’s case and just as many others go through to achieve their goals, for Gatsby, the American Dream was still out of reach and was never completed because he didn’t have Daisy.

Instead of working hard and going to school like Beneatha dreamed of, Walter wanted to take the risky and easy way to wealth. Gatsby too quit and dropped out of school too take the easier and cheaper criminal path to success. In both of these stories, the ethics of good, morality, and righteousness are overshadowed by the need and greed to become rich.

500 words

Protest Song

We Shall Overcome

We Shall Overcome by 
We shall overcome, we shall overcome,
We shall overcome someday;
Oh, deep in my heart, I do believe,
We shall overcome someday.

The Lord will see us through, The Lord will see us through,
The Lord will see us through someday;
Oh, deep in my heart, I do believe,
We shall overcome someday.

We're on to victory, We're on to victory,
We're on to victory someday;
Oh, deep in my heart, I do believe,
We're on to victory someday.

We'll walk hand in hand, we'll walk hand in hand,
We'll walk hand in hand someday;
Oh, deep in my heart, I do believe,
We'll walk hand in hand someday.

We are not afraid, we are not afraid,
We are not afraid today;
Oh, deep in my heart, I do believe,
We are not afraid today.

The truth shall make us free, the truth shall make us free,
The truth shall make us free someday;
Oh, deep in my heart, I do believe,
The truth shall make us free someday.

We shall live in peace, we shall live in peace,
We shall live in peace someday;
Oh, deep in my heart, I do believe,
We shall live in peace someday.

              “We Shall Overcome” is a song protesting the unfair treatment of African Americans and was sung during the African-American Civil Rights Movement. This song tells of the dreams of non-violent civil rights activists fighting for equality between the white and black races. The line “We are not afraid today” describes the passion for which the protesters were fighting, and their bravery, courage, and determination to express how they felt about racism. They were not scared to rebel and try to get their way, and this song shows how much they believed that their ideal peace between the two races would eventually come. By repeating the line “Oh, deep in my heart, I do believe…” in each verse, the songwriter expresses his desire for equality and how he is sure that his vision will one day become a reality. With their fights, the protesters are making this idea of overcoming racism a reality by striving for the victory mentioned in the song.

                A symbol used in this song is in the line “We'll walk hand in hand someday.” This vision is not only about literally walking with someone of the other race whilst holding hands and not being judged, but is a symbol of the protesters’ ideal results in finally finding success in gaining equality. The meaning of “walking hand in hand” here is a sign of the cooperation, agreement, and fairness that was yearned for in the making of this song. This is a symbol of the ideal results of the Civil Rights Movement because the first three verses of the song talk about how, with the help of God, ignorance shall be overcome and the fighters will be lead to victory. The next verses talk about what will happen once the African Americans do win, and part of achieving their freedom is being able to “…Walk hand in hand someday.”

                I chose this song because I like the history that came with its creation. It was derived from an early gospel song and then was changed around and taught to many civil rights activists over time to help fight for their cause. I am glad that these activists chose to fight peacefully and helped spread the song’s popularity through these protests, where it would eventually become an anthem of the Civil Rights Movement.

384 Words

Community Proposal

I live on the Northwest side of Chicago in Jefferson Park. This is a primarily white neighborhood influenced by many ethnic groups. The community is mainly made up of of 1st and 2nd generation Polish, German, Irish, and Italian families. This is a working class neighborhood with houses all very similar in size, and not many very upper class families. I am going to interview my neighbor Renata Lacour, Faustina Bueno, and Aunt Renata Lis. They have all been living here for the past ten years and come from immigrant families. I expect that home ownership and the availability of good schools for their children's educations and success will be the parts of the American Dream that I will find in my neighborhood.

American Dream

Obama hails Jobs as brave, bold and talented

This article is about how President Obama and many other politicians are praising Steve Jobs as an icon and the true definition of the American Dream. This is because of all of his hard work and his ambition “to live every day as his last” while completely changing our lives as well.

Nancy Pelosi once called Jobs "a visionary who changed the way we live, an innovator whose products brought joy to millions, a risk-taker who wasn't afraid to challenge the status quo." These characteristics are also ones of an immigrant seeking a better life and the American dream. Immigrants are also visionaries who leave their home countries with almost nothing to seek a new way of living in America, and while doing this, bring the same idea of Jobs’ joy to millions to their own families. They are brave people who face challenges in coming here to better their families’ lives. Pelosi also said in a statement, "His courageous fight against cancer brought strength to many." Although immigrants do not have to battle with cancer in their pursuit of the American Dream, they put in hours of hard labor to support their families, making them the rocks that bring strength and hope for their children’s futures.

In response to Pelosi, Eric Cantor tweeted, “There is not a day that goes by, and often not an hour, that a Steve Jobs invention does not better my family's life.” This is also true with the hard work that immigrant parents face every day to make sure their families have the best possible lives. These parents invest everything they have to promote the wellbeing of their children so they too can have the aspects of freedom and wealth in their futures.

Overall, as President Obama put it, “He [Jobs] changed the way each of us sees the world." Immigrants strive for their families to see the American Dream of freedom, a healthy family, and much wealth. They too want their children to see America as a better place with great opportunities that they can take advantage of and live great “American” lives through.

359 Words