And Still We Rise (Post #2 pgs.134-268)

Corwin continues to detail the obstacles faced by the gifted students at South Centrals Crenshaw High in pages 134-268 of his book, but he also describes the teachers and administrators who are doing the best that they can to help these students. With quotes and dialogues between the faculty members at Crenshaw and students, Corwin is able to give insight on the gifted program coordinator, Scott Braxton. Corwin explains how Braxton has developed many close relationships with the troubled students who have still managed to do exceedingly well in school. Braxton faces so many struggles as he attempts to keep these students in school, and encourage them to hold on for just nine more months. In a dialogue between a teacher and Braxton, Corwin shows how some people feel Braxton should stop trying to help these students: "That girl's got to learn the consequences of getting pregnant. You can't do everything for her," "I know, I know [Braxton says] But she's gotta finish high school." Further in the book, Corwin pulls more from the autobiographies of students; he writes a bout a socially talented and gifted student named LaTisha who had to confront a history of being a sexually assaulted by er step father, after she found connections between her and a character in Portrait of the Artist. In one quote from LaTisha she says, "Like I'm not crazy, not a couch case." This quote shows how many of the students whose lives are chronicled must think and even feel. These students have experienced so many trials and tribulations, many of them not even the products of their own doings, but they still feel that they are to blame or they are "crazy". While telling the stories of the teachers who help these students such as Ms. Little and Mrs. Moultrie, who have an overlying conflict with each other, Corwin describes the environment in which these students live. With facts and more than vivid imagery Corwin chronicles how many black people migrated to Los Angeles in the years following WWII, and how South Central was the "cultural hub" for many African Americans. He also describes how with immigrations and riots the area became increasingly filled with more destitute blacks and filled with more government controlled housing, and less businesses were able to thrive. In the closing chapters of this section, Corwin tells of how the student who was abused by her mother, Olivia, was sentenced to some jail time and may or may not be able to finish school, and how a pregnant gifted student, Toya, is able to return to school for her second semester.

Discussion Questions:
Clarification: Is Olivia able to go to the Kirby Center and finish school or will she be sent to a camp?
Application: Corwin describes the area of South Central, along with its history. Has the area changed since the writing of this book?

And Still We Rise (Post #2 pgs. 1-133)

The stories of several urban youths are detailed in Miles Corwin's book And Still We Rise. The book chronicles the lives of seniors who attend Crenshaw High School, and are in the schools gifted program. While Corwin expresses how the students do exceptionally well in school, he also notes how everyday can be a struggle for all of them to even get out of bed. In his first chapters, Corwin describes the lives of these teenagers who live in South Central, Los Angeles and have all faced, and even continue to face, some rough experiences. He details how some of them work forty plus hours a week to provide for themselves and their families, how some of these young people have been abused as children and have been tossed around from foster home to group home and so on, and he tells of how some of them simple find it hard to return to school after seeing so many disappointments from the people around them. With the use of anecdotes given from the students themselves, facts about the issues that surround these students, and even writing from the students Corwin is able to excellently tell the stories of these students whose only solace can be the classrooms in which they study AP English, AP Government, and even auto mechanics. Corwin uses great specificity in his accounts as he describes the lives of these youths in the first of his chapters. In one of his chapters, Corwin describes the life an exceptionally gifted student named Olivia. In the introduction of his book Corwin tells of how Olivia was beaten abused by her mother as a child, and how she was able to run away only to be tossed around in foster home after foster home. Olivia was able to support for herself as a young teen by selling candy bars and fire safety equipment. From this point and on, Corwin describes Olivia's story and countless other gifted teenagers at Crenshaw High who have struggled so much throughout their lives, but have had great successes in the classroom.

Discussion Questions:
Clarification: Was it Venola or Toya who had come from a small town to South Central to escape from an abusive father?
Application: Corwin mentions Prop 209, which banned affirmative action in California, in his book. How has this decision impacted the lives of minorities since its passing, and what will its effects be in the future?

Black Men and Public Places: Brent Staples

In the essay Black Men and Public Places Brent Staples discusses how people have the tendency to be cautious or even fearful of black men in public places, especially during the night and when they find themselves in solitude. The essay was incredibly realistic, and Staples managed to target the issue of this precautionary feel toward black men without necessarily considering it a stereotype. While discussing what may seem as an issue to some, Staples does not attack one race or the other, but he does allow some reasoning for why other races might be scared of black men. He states that black men are overrepresented in the categories of muggers, theives, and hoods. As I read the essay, I began to notice how Staples made mention of how he whistles the tunes of great composers like Beethoven to accomodate passers by who would suggest him to be a threat to their safety. This caught my attention because I feel that it should not be necessary for a race to make such accomodations for another. The essay was a good read and it brought back to mind, for me, the common phrase: "Don't judge a book by its cover."

Newsweek Precis

Rhetorical Precis:
Pulling the Plug on Oil

http://www.newsweek.com/id/192481

America’s dependency on foreign oil, and the effects of this dependence is discussed in the article “Pulling the Plug on Oil” by Steven Chu. Chu is a Nobel Prize winning physicists and the U.S. Secretary of Energy. Chu argues that by reducing our dependence on oil and by expressing ideas regarding the use of biofuels and hybrid our electrical cars, America will better the environmental conditions of the earth for future generations and better our living conditions. Chu uses facts to support his ideas and statements that energy conservation is possible, “…by choosing to buy fuel-efficient cars, take public transportation, or join a ar pool. These steps will save families money and will help keep oil more affordable by reducing demand. Chu states that energy conservation is just as important as our reduction of oil consumption when he mentions how solar and wind energy will help America transition from oil. While critiquing America’s oil dependency, “…we import nearly 60 percent of our oil.” Chu also praises the rich resources to be found in the Midwest of America, “We must depend…on the farm fields of the Midwest and on our vast wind and solar resources here at home.” Chu’s purpose is to explain how American should start to avoid oil, and begin to rely on its on resources so that future generations can have better environmental conditions; his audience is comprised of environmentalists and possibly concerned U.S. citizens who want to make a change in the environment.

Style: Does the facts and personal opinions in the article have a more positive or negative effect on the thoughts regarding the environment of the reader?
Application: With so much media pertaining to the environment and oil dependency, how would this affect other countries?