And Still We Rise (Post #3 pgs.269-400)

In this final chunk of And Still We Rise Corwin centers around the gifted students preparing to take their AP exams, most notably the AP English Language and Composition Exam. He loses emphasis on the tragic stories of the gifted students at Crenshaw High to detail a series of event encompassing the time of the exam. Corwin discusses with quotes and imagery the issues surrounding a troubled Ms. Little's repeated enactments of frustrations with the administrations and also her leave of absence in the crucial weeks before the exam. Corwin also keeps the reader emotionally attached to one student in particular, Olivia. Corwin explains how Olivia is striving for success in the juvenile center all the while trying to deal with pent up emotions and trying to take her AP Tests( eventually she was unable to take them). Corwin gives an account of how he was subjected to teaching the class while Little was absent and how he had a new found respect for the way she was able to not only teach, but interact and relate to the students. He writes, "So many times, I watched her engage virtually every student in the class into a passionate discussion and inspire in them a real enthusiasm for literature and its themes. It seemed so effortless, so easy. I realize now it is not." In the culminating chapters of the book Corwin describes the great appreciation that many of the students have for Little, despite her absence when they needed her most. Corwin details the final AP English Class in which Little bids a farewell to her students writing personally a statement about each one of them expressing her love. The students return the love with hugs and tears. Corwin finishes his book by writing about the graduation. He describes the students who speak and those who congratulate and thank Little for her constant care. The final chapter has a part of the speech from valedictorian Danielle who writes of how the students have risen against the stereotypes of society and have achieved success and will continue to do so.

Discussion Questions:
Clarification: What happened to Olivia?
Application: In the epilogue Corwin cites the stats for the decreased admittance rates into universities following the graduation of the gifted class. How do you think the admittance rates will be for the freshman class of 2010?

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?

National Geographic Precis

Rhetorical Précis:
Druids Committed Human Sacrifice, Cannibalism?

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2009/03/090320-druids-sacrifice-cannibalism.html

James Owen’s article Druids Committed Human Sacrifice, Cannibalism, featured in the National Geographic resurrects the claim that the ancient Celt leaders the Druids may have performed ritual sacrifices and even been partakers of human flesh. Owen uses a number of quotes and some vivid imagery to provide reason and evidence as to why many historians would consider the Druids as cannibals or leaders of ritualistic sacrifices. Owen uses a quote from Roman emperor at the time of the Druids Julius Caesar as evidence on why historians and archaeologist would think badly of the Druids who, “believe that the gods delight in the slaughter of prisoners and criminals, and when the supply of captives run short, they sacrifice even the innocent.” Owen even uses a fact about the Lindow Man who was discovered in England in the 1980s who had manicured finger nails and a preserved gut, but with bones broken as to take out the ingestible bone marrow. The discovery of the Lindow Man suggest that the Druids could have been leaders who performed ritual sacrifices or cannibals who devoured humans in a painful manner, “rope tightened around the neck,throat cut”, because of advancing Roman troops. Owen’s purpose is to bring to light more evidence and support for the claim that the ancient Druids could have been cannibals.

Discussion Questions:
Style: Does the numerous quotes in Owen’s article made by historians make the argument more plausible even though some evidence is only inferences?
Application: Could the possibility of Druids being cannibals have influenced other peoples?

Time Article Precis

Ashley J. Lewis
Per. 6: AP English Language
March 17, 2009

Rhetorical Précis:
A New Approach to Designing the AIDS Vaccine

The article A New Approach to Designing the AIDS Vaccine by Laura Blue discusses the efforts made by several scientists and researchers to come up with a new and effective vaccine for AIDS by using antibodies naturally produced in the body. Blue investigates the new approach to finding a cure for the growing AIDS epidemic while also exposing a number of the failed attempts at discovering a cure. Through the use of expert opinions and quotes from known researches, statistics, and facts Blue is able to better interpret the ideas that researchers have for designing a new AIDS vaccine. In her article Blue quotes a top researcher at Rockefeller University in New York who studies the antibodies that can possibly help to prevent AIDS; Michel Nussenzweig stated, “It’s the first time that anybody’s really looked at what the antibody response is.” Blue demonstrates the drastic need for an AIDS vaccine when she cites the significantly high number of AIDS cases throughout the world in 2007 alone, “…with some 2.5 million new HIV cases worldwide in 2007, including nearly half a million children.” Blue’s purpose is to spread knowledge about, what appears to be, promising breakthroughs with AIDS. Her audience is comprised of health enthusiasts and people who care about the increasing AIDS epidemic.
Discussion Questions:
Style: Does Blue’s constant use of quotes make the writing appear too filled with face and not enough writing?
Application: Would the general public do anything to possible aid the researchers?