SOCIAL JUSTICE

Emmeline Vickers Batzdorf

802

Mean by Taylor Swift

You, with your words like knives and swords and weapons that you use against me

You have knocked me off my feet again got me feeling like I'm nothing

You, with your voice like nails on a chalkboard, calling me out when I'm wounded

You, pickin' on the weaker man

Well you can take me down

With just one single blow

But you don't know what you don't know

Someday I'll be living in a big ol' city

And all you're ever gonna be is mean

Someday I'll be big enough so you can't hit me

And all you're ever gonna be is mean

Why you gotta be so mean?

You, with your switching sides and your wildfire lies and your humiliation

You have pointed out my flaws again as if I don't already see them

I'll walk with my head down trying to block you out 'cause I'll never impress you

I just wanna feel okay again

I'll bet you got pushed around, somebody made you cold

But the cycle ends right now 'cause you can't lead me down that road

And you don't know what you don't know

Someday I'll be living in a big ol' city

And all you're ever gonna be is mean

Someday I'll be big enough so you can't hit me

And all you're ever gonna be is mean

Why you gotta be so mean?

And I can see you years from now in a bar, talking over a football game

With that same big loud opinion but nobody's listening

Washed up and ranting about the same old bitter things

Drunk and grumbling on about how I can't sing

But all you are is mean

All you are is mean and a liar and pathetic and alone in life

And mean, and mean, and mean, and mean

But someday I'll be living in a big ol' city

And all you're ever gonna be is mean, yeah

Someday, I'll be big enough so you can't hit me

And all you're ever gonna be is mean

Why you gotta be so mean?

Someday, I'll be, living in a big ol' city

And all you're ever gonna be is mean

Someday, I'll be big enough so you can't hit me

And all you're ever gonna be is mean

Why you gotta be so mean?

In this song, Taylor is talking about the people in her life who have hurt her. The critics who “hate” on her music for the sake of “hating”  on her music. The girls at school who exclude her. But in the song, she also shows how she can rise up above those people and be the bigger person. She shows that she doesn’t need those people tear her apart and make her feel less than she is.

You, with your words like knives and swords and weapons that you use against me

You have knocked me off my feet again got me feeling like I'm nothing

You, with your voice like nails on a chalkboard, calling me out when I'm wounded

You, pickin' on the weaker man

This shows how each thing just picks at her and these lines are something that everyone can relate to. In the music video, she has all of these scenarios where someone is not the stereotypical person. For example, there is a boy who dresses nicely and is reading a fashion magazine in the locker room while all the football players pick on him.

But you don't know what you don't know

Someday I'll be living in a big ol' city

And all you're ever gonna be is mean

At the end of the video, Taylor shows how all of the people who were picked on rose up and became more than the people who hurt them. All of them achieved their goals and showed that people picking on them wasn’t going to stop them from reaching that goal and being who they are.

Things I’ve Noticed in My Community

• Smoking
• Exclusion
• Littering
• People looking at homeless people in rude ways.
• Drama for the sake of drama
• Racism
• Catcalling

Smoking doesn’t only affect those who are actually smoking, but those around that person. In New York City, you walk down the street and have to hold your breath numerous times in order to breathe in fresh air and not get more than one waft of smoke. It not only affects smokers’ health but those around him/her. Inhaling smoke is not good for anyone’s health which is why many people do not smoke. So, when people stand on the street smoking, those peoples’ health is damaged anyway. I think this is very unfair because people avoid things for a reason and by smoking in very public places, you are shoving that thing in their face.

Gossip Girl

The TV show Gossip Girl is a drama about teenagers on the Upper East Side of Manhattan and what they go through as they grow up and become adults. Their portrayal as wealthy teens is exaggerated and changed to catch the attention of viewers. Small issues are heightened and stakes are raised. Normal teenagers go through fights with friends, issues with their parents or something someone has done, relationships, telling people a secret, dealing with enemies, etc. All of these things occur in the six seasons of the show, but most teenagers can’t just jet off to Paris in a private plane because they are embarrassed. The portrayal of the wealth and things that go along with that is accurate however. Although most places nowadays are very diverse, the Upper East Side is a place that, at the time of much of the filming, was not. The vast closets and limos and prep school is all realistic to that place. My peers and I do not experience that but that isn’t to say that it is not something that others experience. I think that there are stereotypes, but there is also a deeper meaning to those people’s actions. For example, there is the girl everyone loves who is in all of the papers and all over the internet. We learn that much of this is because she is trying to get her father's’ attention.

Think. This makes me think about the different communities around the world and how different issues apply to those communities. In my life, if I’m embarrassed, I have to deal with it and try to get through it. I can’t jet off somewhere or not go to school. Although I am not as old as the teens in the show, when I am that age, I still won’t be able to do that. Even in the same city, there are such different cultures with so many different issues.

Know. This showed me how a different culture deals with similar and different issues. Specifically, the Upper East Side. Characters in the show use money to their advantage and help them get through situations they are not happy to be in. Although much of this is stereotyping, it opened my eyes to learning about the cultural differences in society.

Feel. This makes me kind of upset because many people use their money to get out of situations that others can’t avoid. For example, money can give people power and in the show, a mother sends her daughter’s teacher to jail, so that her daughter can get back into school. Although this upsets the people in the show too, what’s done is done and they can’t take it back no matter how hard they try.

Interview with Juliette Daignualt

Q: What is good in the world?

A: I think what’s good in the world is that in many towns there is a really good sense of community and people helping each other which is very important for those who are less fortunate.

Q:What do you think is bad in the world?

A: I think something that is bad in the world is the federal court system. For example, in Ferguson, the judge didn’t send the police officer to jail when some could argue that he was a murderer.

When interviewing Juliette, I was very surprised by her responses. She had an interesting yet very important angle about good and bad. I agree that good and bad is not only a matter what people do or don’t have, but how that may affect them. When I thought about the answers to these questions, I was thinking more about people who don’t have enough food or who don’t have a warm place to sleep at night. These ideas of what is good and bad affect everyone, not just the people in the situations.

Gay Rights

http://www.pinknews.co.uk/2014/11/29/reports-ugandan-gay-rights-activist-in-intensive-care-after-brutal-attack/

Kelly Mukwano, a gay rights activist in Uganda, was brutally beaten by a mob, causing him to be put into intensive care. Earlier this year, Mukwano talked to The Telegraph about threats and dangers he faced, and how he wasn’t going to be safe for very long. Reading this article made me very uncomfortable because in my view and the view of many people around the world, he was not doing anything wrong. He was standing up for what he believed in and like in America, that should be allowed. To be attacked just because you like men and not women or women and not men, is not a viable reason. Not everyone has to have the same views and to injure someone because they don’t have the same view on one thing, is an injustice. Growing up with gay neighbors, it never occurred to me that people could be against two people who love each other getting married. As I got older, I saw how those neighbors weren’t actually married because the law didn’t allow them to be. This angered me because I didn’t understand why it was so wrong, and I still don’t understand. When gay marriage was legalized in New York, I knew it was a step towards legalization in all places around the world.

MICHAEL BROWN

Dorian Johnson, the friend who was with Michael Brown when he was shot, told news reporters from CNN what he saw on August 9th. He was the only witness besides Darren Wilson, the police officer who shot and kill Michael Brown, who I saw speak on TV. Even when he was not speaking, Johnson had such a pained look on his face and when he spoke, he hardly had anything to say other than how upset and angry he was. If I was in his position, I don’t think I could be that strong. To see a friend of mine get shot would kill me but to have such strong reactions from the country, I would know that everyone was on my side. In Ferguson, there have been burning buildings, huge protests, people being arrested for their protest, so many things telling the police and the prosecutors that something is not right. If I were in this situation, although it would be hard, I know I would have to stay strong and show the world that seeing what happened shows that the death of Michael Brown was not the only option.

Changing the world

My mum volunteers with an organization called JFREJ, Jews For Racial and Economic Justice. She has travelled to Albany and gone to City Hall in order to fight for the rights of domestic workers. Although this is only one of the campaigns JFREJ works on, it is a very important one.

Q: Why is fighting for domestic workers’ right’s important to you?

A: It is important to me for several reasons. First, because domestic workers are excluded from all other labor protection laws. Second, domestic workers tend to be immigrants and people of color, therefore they are more vulnerable. Third, domestic workers are primarily women and I want to keep up the struggle for all women’s rights, because I have benefited from the struggles of women who came before me. Last, because domestic workers mainly work in private settings, where they are often the only employee, it is harder for them to organize and speak out for fair working conditions, such as paid sick leave, holiday, etc.

Q: How do you hope this will change the world?

A: I hope it will help regulate wages and expectations for both workers and employers. I hope it will raise awareness in corporate America of how what the employers do affects the people who are at home taking care of their kids.

SOLD by Patricia McCormick Literary Essay

Many young children, teens, and adults face challenges that are not seen in other parts of the world. In Sold by Patricia McCormick, she tells the story of a young girl who leaves her home in the Nepalese mountains to work in the city and support her family. Lakshmi, the protagonist,  faces many challenges when she arrives at a brothel to work off her debt. She is placed in a position of uncertainty and surprise due to the fact that she thought she was going to work as a maid. Many teenagers, like Lakshmi, have families who depend on them for survival.

At home, Lakshmi's family face many challenges and struggle to get through the seasons. The first line states, “One more rainy season and our roof will be gone, says Ama.” This line is the foundation for all of the events that occur in the story. This showed me how unsure the stability of their home was and how important her family meant to Lakshmi. I think that the tin roof symbolizes Lakshmi’s role in the family. The roof keeps the family safe and dry and Lakshmi sees herself as responsible for their safety and comfort.  Another line that really showed me how important Lakshmi is to her family when she talks about how rare it is for children to survive the seasons. “They take food from their bowls , feed it to their children, and silence their own churning stomachs. This is the season when the women bury the children who die of fever.” This shows me the importance of Lakshmi having a job and how lucky she is to have it. I think that although it is not what she thinks, the job, itself, is hope. Lakshmi’s stepfather spends his days betting, waiting for something tremendous to come around, and Lakshmi’s mother does her best to survive and support them. Lakshmi knows that she has to support her family more than she has in the past and will do whatever it takes to help them.

When Lakshmi gets to the Happiness House, nothing is what she thought it would be. She can tell something is wrong from the minute she gets a few miles from home, but she just goes along with it, trusting the people who take her to her destination. When Lakshmi enters the Happiness House, she sees girls running around in luxury clothes instead of maids clothes, which she was expecting to see. When Lakshmi figures out where she is, she shuts herself off and refuses to “work”. Mumtaz forces her to please her visitors until she learns the way things are supposed to be and drugs her so does as she is told. I think that the lassi Mumtaz uses to drug Lakshmi represents her losing control of herself because even though the lassi makes her lose control of her body, she is still aware of what is happening. “ Today the David Beckham boy taught me some new words. Now I can say: sit, walk, book, bowl, good, bad, happy, and sad. “ I think the David Beckham boy is a symbol for making the best of what you have. He teaches Lakshmi how to be more optimistic and gives her something to look toward. I think the David Beckham boy is a sign of hope for the girls in the Happiness House because he brings a new side of feeling and hope into their lives. He gives everyone something to look toward. All of the impurities push Lakshmi to work to support her family because she knows they are relying on her.

Lakshmi is willing to go to great lengths to insure the security of her family. She would do anything for them and she really proves herself. She tracks everything she does and trusts that the pain won’t last forever. This made me think about how our society is so different. It is a law that kids have to go to school and if they don’t, still have to be educated. Parents work and support their families. In Sold the roles are switched, and the stakes are much higher for Laksmi and the security of her family. I think it is important to recognize that this story is a very real situation that many teen girls face in other parts of the world. Many children have to take on the responsibility that a parent in our society would take on but for them, it is what is considered “normal” and expected.

Through Lakshmi’s story, we follow a young teenage girl as she experiences confusion and abuse, to support her suffering family at home in the Nepalese mountains. Lakshmi’s family means the world to her and she would do anything for them, as many kids in that situation would be forced to do. Many teenagers face challenges in order to support their families and put themselves on the line.

Ashes Literary Essay

Many teenagers have challenging and confusing relationships with their parents. Ashes, a short story by Susan Beth Pfeffer is about a teenage girl who is torn between her parents, what is right and wrong, and where her comfort lies. In the story, Ashes’ father pressures her into stealing her mother’s emergency money so that he can help himself with financial issues. Ashes, is about a teenage girl who faces challenges in her life due to her relationship with her parents.

Ashes’ father makes her feel warm. He sees her through optimistic eyes and never faults at a chance to make her feel welcome and good about herself. When Ashes’ father comes home from work, he says,”You get more and more beautiful. Turn around. Let me admire every single inch”. This starts off the story with a feeling of admiration from her father, which I think is what causes Ashes to make certain decisions. I think that this shows why Ashes feels so comforted by her father. The lines that follow show how Ashes picks out the good things in her father and focuses on that. In contrast to this behavior, Ashes is introduced to a side of her father that she has never seen before. When Ashes and her father are at the diner, he takes a seat facing the door. Ashes states,” He hadn’t done that with me in a long time, and it made my stomach hurt in an odd, familiar way.” This part really stood out to me because it let me know that this wasn’t the first time she had felt this way. It also made me want to know more about their past relationship because I was uncomfortable with the continuation of this behavior. In this moment, she starts to pull out of her father’s zone and into her own. For a moment, Ashes is a person making her own decisions, before she falls back into her fathers’ zone. Although Ashes wants to stay with her father, she knows it is not what she needs.

Ashes’ mom is prepared for anything that could go wrong. In the beginning of the story, Ashes' compares how she feels with each of her parents. When speaking about her mom, Ashes has so many positive things to say, but not about the way she feels with her.. "She's the most practical person I know, always putting aside for a rainy day. With Mom, there are a lot of rainy days and she takes a grim sort of pleasure in being ready for them. The flashlight with working batteries for a blackout." This shows me that Ashes' mom is always the safer person to standby. She is ready for anything that could disrupt their daily lives. Although not every day with Ashes' mom is a good day, she knows that someday, it will add up to being a great day. At the end of the story, Ashes goes up to the apartment possibly to take the money. She states, “The apartment was quiet. It always felt a little colder when Mom wasn’t there. Even with the lights turned on, it seemed a little darker.” This moment in the story really concluded, for me, how Ashes feels about her mother. Although it does show that Ashes feels warm and welcomed when she is with her mother, it also shows that it is not the same as being with her dad. It is not as warm, exciting and comforting; being with her mother is feels colder and darker.

Another example of this is that, Ashes' father speaks highly of her mother, but does not seem to know the real logic behind all of her decisions. When they are in the diner he states,        "She's the most level headed women I know. As straight as a yardstick. But I was the only dream she ever believed in and once I failed her, she never let herself dream again." I thinks this shows part of the reason why Ashes' mother is so ready for whatever comes next. She doesn't want to dream of good days to come, she wants to have those good days. I think she wants to offer more than she can give and so she works as hard as she can to give Ashes the life she wants for her.

Ashes’ parents have opposing views about how she should live her life and make decisions. Her father portrays this by always making her feel good about herself and welcoming her into a warm environment. Ashes' mother does this by setting aside for rainy days and working hard. She doesn't bring as much warmth into the home, but Ashes always feels safe at her side. Both Ashes’ mother and father want a good life for her.

In the beginning of the story, Ashes is very devoted to the thrill and warmth of her father. Towards the end of the story and when we meet his manipulation, she starts to shift to her mother. But, she falls back into her father's’ footstep and goes along with the plan, as far as he is concerned. The story ends with a cliffhanger,so we are left to ponder on what Ashes’ decision may be. Ashes by Susan Beth Pfeffer shows that difficult and sometimes confusing relationships with parents can influence teens to do something they may not have otherwise done.

Over the summer, I read The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald. This book was one of the most intriguing books I have ever read, once I got into it. The time period caught my attention because the narrator, Nick, often talks about the big and raging parties that Gatsby hosts. Nick is drawn to Gatsby's lifestyle and being, in a way that fascinated me. When I started read The Great Gatsby, I was expecting to follow Gatsby's life. When Gatsby was not yet introduced, I was confused by the connection between the title and the story. Later on in the story, I understood Gatsby through the eyes of Nick, which showed me the connection.

The parts of the book that really made me feel were the interactions between Gatsby and Daisy. From the beginning of the book and carrying on throughout the duration of most of the story, Daisy seems very innocent. When she is reunited with Gatsby, there is a little spark that goes off in her and she is suddenly courageous and free. When I learned about their past, I focused even more on their relationship and saw how vulnerable yet strong it was. There is such a passion for love between them that easily falls apart at moments. In these moments, I felt for Daisy and Gatsby. There are many things that you can have at one moment that are gone in just a matter of seconds, and leaves you with a feeling of emptiness.

I think that this book is called The Great Gatsby because that is who catches Nick's interest. Jay Gatsby is a potent character who inspires Nick. Nick follows Gatsby's lifestyle from afar at first, and then when Gatsby draws him in, he has a first hand account. I think that this shows that Gatsby was aware of Nick's fascination with him and owns up to the honor. Also, I think that Gatsby is unaware of Nick's relationship with Daisy when they first interact and when they are reunited, I think there is also a spark that goes off in him, that shows his loving side. This changes the course of the story.

From this story, I have not only gained more knowledge of the time period, but knowledge of deep connections. The relationships in this book showed me what it really meant to understand another person and feel with them. Of course, these things occurred somewhat differently in the roaring 20's than they do now, but I was able to connect the two and learn.