Racial Profiling Lives On

Hyperbolic:  having the nature of hyperbole; exaggerated
Predominantly: Having greatest ascendancy, importance, influence, authority, or force.
Inflected: To alter (the voice) in tone or pitch; modulate. 
Inevitably: unable to be avoided, evaded, or escaped; certain; necessary: an inevitable conclusion. 
Render: To submit or present, as for consideration, approval, or payment
Unrestrained: Not controlled or held in check; immoderate: exploitation of natural resources
Frisk: to dance, leap, skip, or gambol; frolic: The dogs and children frisked about on the lawn. 
Hypothetical: assumed by hypothesis; supposed
Probable: supported by evidence strong enough to establish presumption but not proof
Discretion: the quality of having or showing discernment or good judgment

• Police are able to pull someone over, stop them in the streets or just simply question them if they look a certain way. (Race, skin color, etc.)
• The people do not know they have the right to say no to an officers request to search ones possessions. 
• Supreme Court has ruled that people who are chased and captured by the police are not “seized” 
• running away would be counted in determining reasonable suspicion
• Some officers might use the excuse that the person they pulled over looked suspicious because they looked like they could be undocumented. 
• In conclusion any police officer can get away with being racist and make false assumptions about someone being suspicious just because of the color of their skin. 

vocab #9

ultimate: being or happening at the end of a process; final.
The ultimate decision would be to cancel all plans this summer and go stay with your aunt.
interactive: (of two people or things) influencing or having an effect on each other.
My government class is very interactive; we always work in groups or partners.
principle: fundamental truth or proposition that serves as the foundation for a system of belief or behavior or for a chain of reasoning.
There are many principles to the working system. 
guidance: advice or information aimed at resolving a problem or difficulty, esp. as given by someone in authority.
My cousin looks up to me for guidance, I am her role model.
collaboration: the action of working with someone to produce or create something.
Justin Bieber has many collaborations with other music artists on his last album.
formative: serving to form something, esp. having a profound and lasting influence on a person's development. Something that shaped or taught a person.
My childhood was very formative and I was able to learn how to use commonsense. 
summative: of or relating to a summation or produced by summation, the sum of a problem
After much investigation the summative of the problem was that there had only been two apple pies.
racism: the belief that all members of each race possess characteristics or abilities specific to that race, esp. so as to distinguish it as inferior or superior to another race or races.
We are surrounded by racism everyday at school. 
intelligence: the ability to acquire and apply knowledge and skills.
After scoring a 2200 on his SAT I decided he was the most intelligent person I have ever met. 

The Value of Learning and Living Life

My week-to-be would be a very focused, determined, working enviroment. I know that having a sub for three days is going to get some people distracted, but I'm hoping they can be responsible. I want everyone to stay calm and do what they're suppose to do. We get to teach ourselves something this week, besides what has been assigned we will learn to discipline ourselves. I'd like to get a really good, understanding of what we read so I can apply it to the real world.

Literature Analysis #3

A Child Called It by Dave Pelzer

1. My book is about a mans rough childhood and the different types of abuse he undergoes. David is beaten, stabbed, burned, told to drink different chemicals and neglected. All of this is done to him by the woman who should be saving and protecting him, his mother. His mom makes him sleep in a small closet and if he needs to use the bathroom he is forced to pee himself, then he is sent to school in the same clothes everyday. He thinks he deserves it, he doesn't understand why his mom hates him so much and he is always trying to gain her affection. 
2. I believe Dave Pelzer wrote this book as a form of therapy and a way to let others know it's better to share with someone else if something bad is happening to you or a friend. Don't hide dangerous things from others, reach out for help and make your life a safe place to live. 
3. I chose this book based off of what I had heard about it. I have friends who had read it in middle school and they all loved it, so I decided to give it a try and see what everyone was talking about. The story was so intriguing and as soon as you read the first chapter you had to know what happened to this little kid. You have to know if he makes it out okay. 
4. I did find this book very realistic, it was also sort of a wake up call for me. After reading this book I started to pay more attention to the students around me. Dave pointed out things that made him different and I looked for those characteristics in other students I see everyday to see if I could find any that might be putting up with abuse. Because I started doing this not only in class, but around everyone, I noticed it was happening to my cousin. 

People

1. I think that if I met David's mom in person I wouldn't see her as someone who would abuse her child. It's hard for me to see any mother abusing her child. I think the rest of the characters would be seen the same exact way as he portrays them to be. His tone throughout the entire book is confused, scared and hopeful. He's confused as to why his mom doesn't love him anymore, he's scared because he never knows what cruel punishment to expect and he's hopeful because he's always talking about the day his mom will realize how mean she is and he will prove to her that he's amazing. 
2. David is a very fragile, young boy who wears glasses and rarely eats. He's always wearing the same clothes and he doesn't complain. He is an example of indirect characterization. We know what David is thinking and how he responds to other characters. His mom and class mates are direct characterization. They have direct statements being made by them. His mom beats and stabs him, and his classmates pick on him. If I were writing this book as a fictional story, I would have made the mom seem even more ugly and wicked looking then what he described her as. However, all the other characters seem to have the perfect description and I wouldn't write them any other way.
3. David's story is worth telling because he has such a brutal story to tell. He went through such a huge hardship and suffered through the most abusive relationship with his mother. His mom is worth writing about because she is the reason the story exists, and the people who pick on him create an even larger emotional appeal to the entire story. 
4. One example of direct characterization is when David's classmates pick on him for smelling and looking bad. The author states that they were bullies. Another example of direct characterization is when the teacher makes an effort to help David, the author clearly states that she is someone who David will trust and seek help from. 
5. I didn't notice any change in syntax when the author would discuss a different character. However the diction would change when talking about his mother. His tone would shift and he became more forward and used descriptive language to express the cruel actions she performed on him.
6. The protagonist is David and he is very dynamic. You almost get to experience the abuse with him. He is a very structured character and has a lot of understandable feelings.
7. I did feel as though I had met Dave. I have never experienced anything similar to him, in regards of being abused. But like Dave, I have felt alone, betrayed, scared for my life, and hopeful. David talks about not having any friends to talk to, no one wanted to be near him. I went through a similar situation in elementary school. 

 

Style

1.  The author used more of a journalistic form of writing. He took you day by day or week by week and month by month. I never picked up on any foreshadowing.
2. The Author does use lengthy descriptions for the more complex characters and some scenes. The author focuses more on the action rather than on dialogue. I think he does this because the events that he is describing happened such a long time ago, it's probably harder to write in dialogue when you can't remember the entire conversation.
3. I think the authors attitude towards this subject is probably very sensitive. He had to relive his  horrible past and talk about his traumatic experiences. 
4. The author doesn't offer any resources. 

Vocabulary #7 AND 8

cursory- going over something rapidly, without noticing details

impetus-a moving force
pinnacle-a lofty peak
contumely-insulting display of contempt in words or actions
bereavement-a state of intense grief over loss of a loved one.
cache-a hiding place usually in the ground
consummation- completion, perfection, fulfillment
calamity-a great misfortune or disaster, as a flood or serious injury
avarice- miserly desiring to hoard wealthfortify-to protect or strengthen against attack

erratic- deviating from the usual proper course in conduct
ubiquitous-being everywhere, especially at the same time
fortitude-mental and emotional strength in facing difficulty courageously
nonchalant-coolly unconcerned
affect-to act on
effect-something that is produced by an agency or cause
misappropriate-to put to wrong use
pragmatic-of or pertaining to a practical point of view or practical considerations.
metacognition- higher order thinking that enables understanding
devoutly-devoted to divine worship or service

To Be or Not To Be

I think hamlet is saying

To live or not to live, but not in a suicidal way. More of a "to live life to the fullest" cliché kind of way rather than just breathing air and being physically alive. He wants to sleep, not die. "To die, to sleep-no more-and by sleep we end the heartache..." He doesn't want to die, he would rather sleep and escape into his dreams where heartache doesn't exist and you can give up the idea of who you are and be who you want to be. He wants you suspend your beliefs and think about what could be. He fears death, he doesn't know what will come after he dies. "For in that sleep of death what dreams may come When we have shuffles off this mortal coil." He thinks poorly of humans and life in general. He states "for who would bear the whips and scorns of time, th' oppressors wrong, the proud Nan's contumely, the pangs of love, the laws delay" I believe he thinks every good you do is pointless because you get burned in the end. He doesn't believe in good karma, he believes that if you do something bad, a good man gets burned for it. This is where e wonders why he should live or not, he doesn't see a purpose to put up with it. After all who wants to live a sad, hard, tiring life? 

"To act on what I know to be true in order to hold yourself in higher esteem" speaks to me the most because I have witnessed people go with the flow of things for my entire life. I watch people set routines for themselves and stick with them because it works. People are afraid to go outside of their comfort zones, they won't go against the current to change themselves or perhaps the world. 

I will try to take the path that goes against the current, I want to be different, I crave different. 

 

Vocabulary #7

Pragmatic: 

Dealing with things realistically and sensibly.

"After getting a ticket the teenager decided to handle the issue in a pragmatic way."

Metacognition:

Awareness and understanding of ones own thought process 

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Cursory: 

Hasty and not thorough or detailed

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Impetus:

The force or energy with which a body moves 

"The impetus of the car crashing into the other car caused the old man to break his neck."

Pinnacle:

A high pointed piece of rock

"The pinnacle of the rock was very sharp and dangerous."

Contumely: 

Insulting language or treatment

"The girl was using a lot of contumely after her mother left." 

Bereavement:

Mourning

"After her husband died she went into bereavement."

Cache:

A collection if items of the same type stored in a hidden or inaccessible place.

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Consummation:

The point at which something is complete or finalized.

"The consummation of a contract is complete after you sign here."

Calamity:

An event causing great and often sudden damage distress or disaster.

Avarice: 

Extremely greedy for wealth or material gain. 

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Fortify:

Strengthen a place with defensive works so as to protect against attack.

"We had to fortify the town during the riots."

Erratic:

Not even or regular in pattern; unpredictable.

"Her movements in chess are erratic."

Ubiquitous:

Present, appearing or found everywhere

"The number 74 is very ubiquitous today."

Fortitude:

Courage in pain

"She endured the pain of the cancerous tumor with much fortitude."

Nonchalant:

(of a person or manner) feeling or appearing casually calm and relaxed; not displaying anxiety, interest, or enthusiasm.

"My sister was able to steal a cupcake in a very nonchalant way."

Affect:

have an effect on; make a difference to. Emotion. 

"the dampness began to affect my health"

Effect:

a change that is a result or consequence of an action or other cause.

Misappropriate:

(of a person) dishonestly or unfairly take (something, esp. money, belonging to another) for one's own use.