Soraya Lane's I Knew You Were Trouble

On May 16th, 2010 Aiyana Stanley-Jones, a seven-year old Black girl from the east side of Detroit, Michigan was fast asleep at her grandmother’s home when Detroit Police Department’s Special Response Team mistakenly entered the residence during a midnight raid. Officer Joseph Weekley discharged a bullet that entered Stanley Jones’ head leaving her body lifeless. Initially, Weekley was charged in connection with Stanley Jones’ death but prosecutors cleared him in 2015, ensuring he would face no repercussions for his negligence that resulted in the premature death of Aiyana Stanley Jones.

Has the criminal justice system always been unfair to minorities? Lauryn Hill, a famous songwriter talks about several things that opened the eyes of citizens everywhere across this nation in her album MTV Unplugged No. 2.0. In her song, “Mystery of Iniquity” she exposes the unjust court system and how everyone plays a part. The word iniquity means immoral unfair behavior. In the song Lauryn is trying to understand the meaning of the unfair behavior by the criminal justice system. She released this album in 2001, and she was not wrong for publicizing her views on this masterpiece of an album. We tend to forget that under President Clinton’s term, he enforced the 3 strikes and you're out policy, which placed more African American men in person for using crack cocaine than ever before. In the early 2000s, African Americans made up nearly 80% of a prison's population due to the federal crack cocaine laws and they also served more time in prison for drug offenses than their white counterparts. However, during this time period more than 67% (⅔) of crack cocaine users were either white or Hispanic.

In a life of poverty, illnesses surround its inhabitant. From poor nutrition to unfit living conditions come afflictions that range from a cough to polio. And as a society we preoccupy ourselves with the short comings of poverty. Creating a revolving door at hospitals treating the poor for their present illnesses, but paying no mind in preventing them for the future. In SAT," Ofri describes her experience as a doctor treating an impoverished unambitious young man, Nemesio Rios. Instead of just following up on Rios' routine check up, Ofri decides to prepare Rios for the SAT so that he could have a chance to go to college. For educational preparation is the preventative medicine for ones future well being because improving ones economical

Imagine being lost from your true love. You are separated, forced to escape and meet up in secret without the society knowing. This is the reality that Cassia and Ky had to face in the novel titled Crossed by Ally Condie. This companion book dives into the complex relationships between characters that show how hard it is to be in love. These relationships are captivating to the reader because Cassia is forced to choose who she really loves. Next you will discover what curiosity can really do to a person, it could be life or death. Also, the symbols of fish and rain come up through the story, connecting to the overall theme of the novel. To add on to, Ky will say goodbye to many people in his life. He will discover the heartbreak of death and separation. Finally, you will find a fan fiction piece that highlights a certain scene and its significance. Decide for yourself- would you really want to be separated from the one you really love?

The Vietnam War was an event with lasting effects. The U.S. troops participated from 1961 until 1975 where over 58,000 Americans were killed according to the U.S Department of Veteran Affairs. This war created a divide amongst the American people with so many opposed to the war because they claim that the cost of war and casualties was too high. Many believed, in addition, that the U.S. should not have involved themselves because the war did not directly affect America. For these reasons and many more, it caused a lot of traumas; not only for veterans but even regular citizens. Due to this, when U.S. involvement with the Iraq War started in 2003 (Riedel), many began drawing parallels between it and the Vietnam War and Anna Quindlen was among them.Anna Quindlen, an opinion columnist with a Pulitzer prize for commentary, wrote an article titled “We’ve Been Here Before.” Her overall goal, in this article, is to convince the reader that the Vietnam and Iraq War are alike as well as catastrophic. Her argument that the two wars are alike is erroneous in nature since there are many significant differences to be listed. Quindlen lacks reputable evidence because she lets her emotions write the article so she spews out personal attacks; there is a clear tone of anger. She accuses the president of wanting the Iraq War to only be about policy without backing this stance and she uses her friend’s statements to support her argument though he isn’t an expert on the matter. Quindlen makes a few good points in the article

Denise Giardina, the author of, “Storming Heaven” does an exquisite job of using the point of view from four different narrators’ point of view to portray the story of the lives of the miners’. The use of the different point of views from Cincinnatus a socialist, Rondal a union organizer, Carrie a nurse, and Rosa an Italian immigrant is a brilliant idea to show the different impacts among several individuals and give different moods and views throughout the different narration. The story takes place in a mining community in a rural town in southwestern West Virginia. She uses the five senses to paint a picture and make it feel as if the readers are one of the many individuals within the story. Giardina does a superb job of using the abuses of the miners and stooges to show how his or her lives were and what caused the uprising in 1921. She uses the oppression of the workers’ to create a sympathetic mood amongst the readers. The way Denise Giardina portrays the atrocities that occur during the events within the story, shows how the coal companies treat the coal miners and how the companies don’t care about whether their workers or their children die.

“Being Country” just those two words together come with many discussions, but the book brings another discussion. This book “Being Country” by Bobbie Ann Mason honestly had me thinking and wondering if everybody’s perspective about changes in life is the same. The main outlooks I took from this book was; When your surroundings have changed your identity will also, Sometimes a reflection of the past can help your future, and whoever you are going to be will not change.

In the book She’s Come Undone by author Wally Lamb, we travel on a journey with a young girl Dolores Prices, as she matures from early childhood to adulthood and all the terrible things that accompany her along her voyage. It was rather intriguing the Wally Lamb did such an excellent job of writing in a first person perceptive as a woman. He accredits his ability to his older sisters. Wally Lamb wrote this book to help emphasize one’s journey to self-discovery. This book’s theme heavily shows the loss of innocence and a coming of age story. Lamb was able to write in a way that many of us could relate to or may have found ourselves in similar situations. Regardless of Lamb’s purpose for writing this book, he was able to create a relatable

In her undertaking of a novel with an unusual topic, Mary Roach balances her book, Stiff, with the perfect amount of sarcasm and sincerity. Due to the overall themes of the book being death and cadavers, it would be hard to consider completely digesting the book without a little bit of satirical dialogue. After all, the entire book would seem kind of morbid without it. Her tongue-in-cheek writing style kept me constantly engaged in the reading and wanting more. She was blunt at times and also knew when it was necessary to be subtle. It is a fairly informal and easy-going style of writing.

There seems to be a clear and concise message that Hellen Zenna Smith tries to get across in her novel Not So Quiet. That message implies no matter the war, it is a grizzly and destructive force and it can shake free even the deepest-rooted forms of social norms and values. Smith emphasizes this idea straight from the first part of the novel when Tosh shaved off all of her hair (14). She described how necessity took over in these women’s lives. This necessity caused most of the women to look at their roles in society differently. Some of the values and norms that are questioned in the text are, nationalism, femininity, sexual morality and social standing.

Can an ego be big enough for one to “trip over?” Ego-tripping is something undertaken to boost or draw attention to a person’s own image or appraisal of himself, and or something done primarily to satisfy one’s vanity. Nikki Giovanni was born in Knoxville, Tennessee on June 7. 1943. She graduated with honors from her grandfather’s alma mater Fisk University. The poem Ego-Tripping is about what she perceives as the true identity of an African American women. She explains how being powerful can open so many doors for a person if they just believe in themselves. This poem was written when Giovanni took her first trip to Africa in 1972, the same year the poem was written. The poet explains her past experience to show how lost she was during

In her book, Lose Your Mother, Saidiya Hartman challenges Jerry Rawlings’ notion of freedom by responding with “Had Rawlings asked, “‘Are we yet free?’ most Ghanaians would have answered with a resounding, ‘No.’ This ‘no’ resonated on both sides of the Atlantic”(pg 126). The capitalistic spirit that possessed the Europeans enabled them to disrupt the untouched country of Africa and capture its children to satiate their wealth aspirations. In the meantime, the Europeans took the land from the Native Americans through genocidal practices and claimed it as their gift from God. Although some claim that the capitalist ventures of the Europeans during the colonial period and the 19th century were beneficial for all and rooted in innocence, it ultimately caused the physical and cultural death of the Native Americans and African-origin peoples and has led to the day to day suffering of their descendants.

Activism, culture and value have always had a tremendous influence in society. When it comes to the Appalachian region of the United States, people tend to see our culture and values differently. The individuals of the Appalachian region have been stereotyped for far too long, people forget that West Virginia has played a huge role in building this country. Our coal miners have put their lives in danger time and time again, some losing them, for worker’s rights. The Battle of Blair Mountain was the largest labor rebellion in the history of the United States. This was the foundation of the movement for eight hour work days and minimum wages. The novel Storming Heaven by Denise Giardina is a fictionalized tale of the conflict that took place in these coal fields of West Virginia. The novel brings to light the stereotypes, race and religion of the Appalachian people.

Young adult literature such as The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas, emphasizes teenagers using both their actions and their voices to overcome injustices such as racial inequality and police brutality. Racial inequality and police brutality is discussed greatly throughout The Hate U Give, due to the difficulties the protagonist, Starr Carter, endures when her best friend, Khalil, is killed because of him being African American and situated in an unsafe neighborhood. Starr embraces an inner conflict with herself in regards to speaking up and taking action against the presented injustices she constantly faces. The author, Laura M. Robinson, of Girlness and Guyness: Gender Trouble in Young Adult Literature thoroughly explains why adolescents are

In order to over come things in life takes determination. Without that you won't succeed when life's obstacles get tough. Going through these things are extremely hard. In Issac Bashevis Singer’s autobiographical essay “The Washwoman,” the main character overcame being cold, she was old of age, and her illness to finish and return the laundry. The washwomen had to overcome being cold.