Social Awareness- Issues placed in Media & News

   During my first few days of the social awareness entries, I realized there were many issues that deserved to be thought about more deeply. For instance, the Mosque that was proposed to be built in "Ground Zero," as everyone calls it. What makes me wonder is, isn't the United States of America a country with religious freedom, freedom of speech and so on. If Churches, Buddhist Temples, and Synagogues can be built, why not a Mosque? In fact, it isn't only a Mosque, it was proposed to be a community center for young teenagers and children, where not only could they pray and worship in any way possible, but be allowed to do what they desire. There was supposed to be some basketball courts that were going to be made along with  kitchen, where cooking classes would take place. Some may wonder, why the Muslims aren't being treated with respect as all the other religions are, at points even I wonder.

   

   The other day, I saw a girl my age, who also wear what we call a "Hijab." She was probably a middle school girl, who was being bullied by some girls. The demanding tone of voice made me realize that the girl was being bothered, or worse bullied. The girls told her she was no longer allowed to be in their, "clique," just because she wore a Hijab. The girl took in to the peer pressure and bullying, pulling it right off her head. Why was there so much racism? Why aren't people allowed to do what they feel is correct? Doesn't everyone want to be treated equally? At points, I wonder how the "in," crowd would feel if they weren't the "in," anymore. How do you think the person next to you, who you refer to as a "loser," feels when you walk down, laughing, even pointing. Allowing the poor kid to know that you were looking at them, talking about them. If you have something to say, say it to someone's face. Don't be a coward.

   This doesn't necessarily mean that you should give in to bullying, peer pressure, or anything like that. But these issues can be resolved in a complete orderly fashioned way, if anyone will take a stand and do something about it.

Hope "From Mother To Son"

From mother to son, by Langston Hughes, is a magnificent way of resembling sadness and hope. The feelings expressed in it reach across the time periods to us. Langston exposes the truth- that life can never be perfect no matter how much you argue.


"Life for me ain't been no crystal stair," when the mother says this to the son, I can't help but wonder, what has the mother gone through that was so tough and complicated that she doesn't want her son to end up as. Along with that Emma had said that the time period during the poem was written was quite close to the Great Depression, when stock markets crashed, and there weren't jobs, enough money.


"It's had tacks in it,
And splinters,
And boards torn up," what would most readers feel when it came to this, does this mean that the mother had "issues" when she was young? Maybe she was a slave during her childhood years and then later on received her freedom? Suppose because of this, along with the particular time period, which had most likely brought so much racism to the country, made it harder for African Americans to go to school, get educated. No one was probably treated equally and because of that his mother probably says, "So boy, don't you turn back. Don't you set down one the steps 'Cause you find it's kinder hard."


When she says this, in my opinion I think she meant that although they're stuck in slum conditions they should never lose hope and deduct themselves to a lower level. It has this tingly feeling for you to aim for goals, even if they're really tough, maybe close to impossible. The mother seems to say although conditions are pretty terrible, nothing is impossible.


"And life for me ain't been no crystal stair," I really liked how Langston Hughes ended his poem with this, as if to repeat the line so it becomes more clearer for the reader to see what's hidden. He wants us to know, that maybe life isn't always what you want, but that doesn't mean you should stop hoping, stop dreaming. It's as if he's saying you should never ever say you can't do something, because as I said before, nothing is impossible.

Going beyond Appreciating

   1^st Draft 

   I loved the fact that Bridge to Terabithia is a book you can become immersed in- a land of magical creatures, friendship, loyalty, and imagination. The one thing that Katherine Paterson describes so effectively is the power and source of friendship, how it’s so important, and how it influences everyone’s life.

   The one thing that made me enjoy reading this book again was the fact that it never gets old no matter how old you are. Terabithia is a land where you aren’t judged by how fast you run, how old you are, (that rule was changed toward the end when May Belle had become the new queen of Terabithia and Leslie died, so Jess needed somebody whether it was his sister to help him rule), and how rich or poor you are. It’s a land in which there are no worries, all of them left behind, the only thing that is with you is the source of imagination. It makes me feel as if Paterson is trying to unfold a secret no one had ever seen or heard of. For instance, although you may be twenty or even eighty, the source of imagination is still there. She explains hidden inside the book’s words, deep inside, that you really are never to old to imagine.

  


   An example is in chapter four, when Leslie wants a place of their own, where there isn't anyone to stop them from doing what they like, a mystical special place for them- and them only. It made me, the reader, wonder how unusual it probably was to have an imagination during that particular age. Usually that was the time when you were aging toward your teens, or twelves. But Paterson made it seem okay for kids Leslie and Jess's age to imagine. At points when you observe young kids, (like Jess and Leslie, who were in the fifth
grade), you don't see them imagining as much as you would or had when you were a child.

  
 I appreciated how Paterson makes you never want to leave Terabithia; she makes you be there, amongst Jess and Leslie. She makes a mentor out of Leslie, she is the one that had opened Jess’s life and imagination, and she was the one who had changed the way he lived. At points after reading Bridge to Terabithia, it makes me wonder what would’ve happened if Leslie had never died or if she was never there. 

 Not only does it make you wonder deeply, it identifies the strength of friendship, how Jess was still Leslie’s friend although it wasn’t normal for a guy and a girl to be friends. But the rope that had tightened around that friendship had slowly begun to untie, to brake and get weak. It had all happened because of Jess’s mistake of not bringing Leslie, putting her under his selfish needs, what good did he get when he went with his teacher to the museum? Leslie died behind him, it was like an eye for an eye, or somewhat similar to that. 

   
Paterson makes the reader ponder about the reason why the book was written when it is all right in front of them. She shows the tie of friendship and what happens if you slowly begin to untie it, everything that had happened before you would slowly dissipate. All those laughs, smiles and fun, it would disappear. Paterson shows the importance behind being loyal and what would happen if you weren’t the person others thought you were. Bridge to Terabithia isn't your usually every day book; it’s a book with a true lesson, along with what would happen if the lesson wasn’t learned. This book opened both emotions and imagination, and although the imagination factor was hidden I still appreciate the fact that Paterson made it seem that you are never too old to imagine.

Katherine Paterson, Author Of Bridge To Terabithia

For me to find out what the story was behind Katherina Paterson's Bridge To Terabithia, I needed to find some little details about what had inspired her to write it, along with another book that is totally different. Deciding to look it up in a primary source, I visited her main website. http://www.terabithia.com/questions.html Where she talked about how she related the characters from her neighborhood.When she talks about her characters she wants the readers (us) to make sure that we respect the fact that the characters aren't perfect like her and the everyday person. That fact made me think about how it was really fascinating, to appreciate the fact that the characters can sometimes resemble us. For instance, Leslie, we're similar, the freaks of the class. That's the whole fun about it.
She also decided to make a brilliant name for the land that Jess and Leslie hailed. The thought Terabithia came from her imagination, with her thinking no one else had the name besides her. But she was pretty surprised to find out that C.W Lewis from "The voyage of the dawn treader."
Katherine Paterson to me is one of those people, who are smiling all the time, caring, and just there for you, when a bully is around. I loved how she answered my questions so easily as if she knew what we had to ask. Other than that, I really appreciate the fact that Katherine Paterson relates to us the readers with her characters, one of the main reasons I loved her books.

Beyond The Bridge

Bridge to Terabithia is beyond imagination, courage, loyalty and friendship, it goes on to life. Sometimes life brings you the beauty sometimes the deceiving parts. When Katherine had focused on Jess's dreams of becoming an artist, I knew it was an important aspect of the book. Deciding to search further, I saw the importance in it right away.
When Jess had come up to his father, with a full smile, with so much happiness and pride, so much sureness that his father would approve of his love of art, I could feel how terribly he was crushed when his father had said:
"What are they teaching in that damn school?" 
And then again when he had said:
"Bunch of old ladies turning my only son into some kind of a-"
You could tell right away, how important Jess was to his father- how much his father needed him. But when Katherine had emphasized how this could ridicule his family. Jess's feelings had probably been crushed as well, how his father disapproved of him becoming an artist, and many kids all over the world may be able to relate to this in many different ways.
Me, for instance can relate to it in a way that differs from Jess's but is quite similar. I dreamed of becoming a writer, for as long as I could remember, and reading the book had been my third grade teacher's clever way  for me to gain the imagination that was folded and hidden inside of me. When I had brought in a piece of writing that I was so proud of to my family, exclaiming that I wanted to be a writer, my mom told me that writing was a hobby, not a real job, and it couldn't earn me enough money to survive. I had been crushed but decided my mother was doing it for my own good.
Jess's reaction was probably different, he could've been sad, mad, enraged. There could be so many different types of reactions and feelings. But for me, I would say that if a child was allowed to pursue his or her dreams, they would succeed in life. But Jess's father didn't understand this, because the truth was his dad needed him. If it weren't for him taking over their farm next, they wouldn't have enough money to feed themselves and run the family, so the importance runs down onto Jess, who is the only boy in the family and is being pressured of what he is supposed to be doing.
If I were Jess's father, I'd tell him to pursue his dreams along with working on the farm, so that Jess isn't pressured as much and is allowed to do what he wants along with what his duty is.
When Jess was going to run in the morning, and he was doing it so secretive, it made me wonder, did he not want his parents to know he was going to run? Why not, it seems like a normal thing to do. That's when I realized that his dad knew he ran, but didn't know that he ran in the morning. What I noticed when Jess was waking up to run was that Katherine had emphasized on the fact that his father was already awake and getting the old tractor rolling. What does this mean about the dad? This probably meant he was a hard worker, and probably supported his family in any way. An excellent example of a dad, but the missing piece is: he needs to let Jess be more free of his decisions.

"If a child pursues his dream, he'll succeed in a way that is unimaginable."