Wednesday, October 27, 2010

Social Awareness : Child Abuse

     Kids were always meant to be "seen, not heard". Every 8 seconds, a child is born. Every 10 seconds child abuse is reported. Almost 5 children everyday die from child abuse.Child abuse is everywhere, whether it be verbal, mental physical or medical, it is an unfortunate part of society.No level of abuse is higher in any race. Isn't it interesting that rascism is still an issue in the world, yet child abuse is one thing that we all have in common?

     The most common form child abuse is neglect. 59%  of children who are abused are neglected. Over 60% of people in drug rehab have been reported being abused or neglected as a child. What kind of example is this seting for the future? Boys are always tought to be strong, but how strong are you when you can't be honest about how you feel?

    I think as a kid or teenager, we're under estimated. Our knowledge, our emotions, our EVERYTHING is looked down upon because we're young. Children who are abused are more likely to act out and do acts of violence if they are abused. Abuse is an issue that can affect someone for the rest of their life.

Monday, October 25, 2010

Cudos to Mother to Son by Langston Hughes

The Harlem Renaissance was a movement in time where African/American people were devolping in culture. Wether its music,dance or poety there was a devolpment in the process. Some of the poineers of this movement were Duke Ellington, Billie Holliday and Langston Hughes. Langston Hughes was a poet during the Harlem Renaissance. Hughes has written many poems that will always go down in history as some of the greatest poems of all time. One of his most famous poems ae Mother to son.

     Mother to Son is an amazing poem. The poem itself sends a powerful message; keep going in life even when things are tough. The way Hughes put the poem together was really good. Instead of always referring back to life, and how imporant it is to keep going, he compares life to stairs. The first lin starts off, " Life for me ain't been no crystal stair". Throughout the poem he shows that because life for a mother is'nt always easy. I don't think he was just sending the message to mothers though, I think it was a message for everyone who has felt that going forward wasn't enough. Using a mother as the voice who is wise was a good desicion children often look to their mother as a voice of reasoning and a calm state of mind.


An Appreciation to Stuart Little (FINAL DRAFT)

In life, there are times where doing what you're told is'nt always good enough. When the brave thing to do feels like the right thing to do. From the time children turn 2, until the end of the adolescent stage, doing what your told feels boring and routined. Being brave, like Stuart can be a benefit at the end of the day. At times, everyone has wanted to be the unlikely hero like Stuart.
     In the children's book Stuart Little   Stuart is a small mouse with a big personality. Throughout the book, Stuart encounters ranging from the minor (or minor for Stuart's standards of adventure) like fishing Mrs.Little's ring out of the bath tub drain, to the major like driving through the city streets of Manhattan in search of a substitute teacher. At the end of the day, Stuart is one brave little mouse! These are the reasons that make Stuart such a loveable character. Plus his determination to help a friend is comforting, it makes you think, do you have a friend that you know will do anything poosible just to see you happy?
     
    There are times where I don't want to do what i'm told, but I do it anyways. Sometimes, defying the rules can be a good thing because it can turn into a growing expirence. There are times, (too many times to count). Where as a teenager it seems like everyone you know over the age of 18 is an expert on whats best for you and teens like you. 9 out 10 of the times, they have no clue whats going on and they don't know a thing! No one may ever comprehend what goes on in our minds unless they put in some real effort.... or jump into a time machine and go back to when they were a teen. In the book, Mrs.Little is constantly trying to protect Stuart from staying out of harms way. I'm pretty sure her intentions are good, but if you push too hard in one dierection, the fun thing to do is run the complete opposite direction. Now as you read this I'm pretty sure you've fely the same way one time or another. Everyone can relate.

     I feel that I may have connected to Stuart because someone somewhere will always try and tell kids, "Don't do this!" or " you don't know what's best for you, I do." The safe thing isn't always the best thing, but its usuallt the fun thing to do!

Sunday, October 17, 2010

An Appreciation to Stuart Little

In life, there are times where doing what you're told is'nt always good enough. When the brave thing to do feels like the right thing to do. From the time children turn 2, until the end of the adolescent stage, doing what your told feels boring and routined. Being brave, like Stuart can be a benefit at the end of the day.

     In the children's book Stuart Little   Stuart is a small mouse with a big personality. Throughout the book, Stuart encounters ranging from the minor (or minor for Stuart's standards of adventure) like fishing Mrs.Little's ring out of the bath tub drain, to the major like driving through the city streets of Manhattan in search of a substitute teacher. At the end of the day, Stuart is one brave little mouse!

     There are times where I don't want to do what i'm told, but I do it anyways. Sometimes, defying the rules can be a good thing because it can turn into a growing expirence. There are times, (too many times to count). Where as a teenager it seems like everyone you know over the age of 18 is an expert on whats best for you and teens like you. 9 out 10 of the times, they have no clue whats going on and they don't know a thing! No one may ever comprehend what goes on in our minds unless they put in some real effort.... or jump into a time machine and go back to when they were a teen. In the book, Mrs.Little is constantly trying to protect Stuart from staying out of harms way. I'm pretty sure her intentions are good, but if you push too hard in one dierection, the fun thing to do is run the complete opposite direction.

     I feel that I may have connected to Stuart because someone somewhere will always try and tell kids, "Don't do this!" or " you don't know what's best for you, I do." The safe thing isn't always the best thing, but its usuallt the fun thing to do!