***For your final reading reflection of first 9 weeks, tell me about at least 3 texts
you have read, and explain how those texts relate to each other based on an
argument/generalization that connects all 3. (Tip: come up with an abstract idea
FIRST and extend it to become a generalization.) If you have read fewer than
3 books of your own choice, you may include The Crucible or The Narrative of
the Life of Frederick Douglass. The key to connecting texts is to focus on
generalizations the author develops; then use specific details from the book to
support your general points. This reflection pushes you to recall book details but to
do so with a focus on the "big picture" of understanding an author's argument
about life and about humanity. You do NOT need text quotes, but be specific
in your details. See example below:
you have read, and explain how those texts relate to each other based on an
argument/generalization that connects all 3. (Tip: come up with an abstract idea
FIRST and extend it to become a generalization.) If you have read fewer than
3 books of your own choice, you may include The Crucible or The Narrative of
the Life of Frederick Douglass. The key to connecting texts is to focus on
generalizations the author develops; then use specific details from the book to
support your general points. This reflection pushes you to recall book details but to
do so with a focus on the "big picture" of understanding an author's argument
about life and about humanity. You do NOT need text quotes, but be specific
in your details. See example below:
We are a nation that believes in the death penalty, in zero tolerance measures,
in good vs. evil. We love to cast groups into the role of evil (witches, Communists,
immigrants, deranged psychos). The ability to draw a line between who’s worthy
and who’s unworthy lets us sit secure in our sense of belonging and moral righteousness.
But this habit denies the idea of redemption and self-improvement. All people have
the power to redeem themselves if others will acknowledge their suffering, provide them
guidance, and offer them love.
in good vs. evil. We love to cast groups into the role of evil (witches, Communists,
immigrants, deranged psychos). The ability to draw a line between who’s worthy
and who’s unworthy lets us sit secure in our sense of belonging and moral righteousness.
But this habit denies the idea of redemption and self-improvement. All people have
the power to redeem themselves if others will acknowledge their suffering, provide them
guidance, and offer them love.
Children who are born into treacherous circumstances are particularly susceptible to
being labeled as delinquents or incorrigibles. Most of us would not survive the circumstances
some kids grow up with, yet we have no problem demonizing them and punishing them
as adults. We should realize that even these children can be helped if only someone
will treat them as struggling human beings instead of as criminals. In lawyer Bryan
Stevenson’s memoir Just Mercy, he recounts his work with death row inmates who are
accused and convicted with limited or biased evidence. As his workload grows and his
reputation spreads, felons convicted as children begin to reach out to him and seek to
have their life sentences overturned. Though Stevenson is reluctant at first, wishing to
focus his energies on unjust death row convictions, once he meets some of these
juvenile offenders (most of whom are now adults), he cannot say no to their requests.
He tells the story of a young boy who shot his abusive stepfather when he was only
fourteen. The boy’s “victim” had beaten the boy’s mother almost to death as the boy
helplessly watched and then turned his anger on the boy; fearful that his mother would
not survive the next attack, the boy killed the stepfather while he was in a drunken stupor.
A reasonable lawyer might have fought the case with a suggestion of self-defense, but poor
people often lack access to reputable legal representation, and the boy’s lawyer provided
little defense on his behalf. By the time Stevenson met the boy, now a man, he was someone
crippled by the system, who recognized the wrong he had done but didn’t understand why
he should spend his life paying for a desperate attempt to save his mother and himself.
Stevenson points out the high cost of imprisoning such offenders, but more importantly,
he notes the inhumane notion of taking someone’s life away at such a young age, condemning
him to life behind bars in a cement cellblock. Until we see struggling kids living lives of violence
and hidden suffering as people who need our help rather than as unsalvageable casualties
who become victims of a cruel cycle,we fail to show true compassion and wisdom.
When we do allow struggling teens to leave the confines of jail, our system offers limited
opportunities for these kids to change the course of their lives; however, changing their
ways is a struggle, and the people who try to help them have to believe that these kids can
find redemption with patient, consistent guidance. Ron Suskind worked as a teacher in an
island school in Maine where teens lived full-time in small groups to receive life skills and
academic education. Suskind describes his work in his memoir, Crossing the Water. Suskind
himself grew up in a single-mother household after his father deserted the family, and with little
money, he and his mother lived in some rough neighborhoods where Suskind developed a
violent temper and a distrust of other people. As he works with boys who have similar
backgrounds, he struggles to remind himself of what he became, a college graduate with
a keen interest in literature. He recounts the rebellious responses he receives when he presents
poetry to the boys, and he describes their willful attempts to make him feel intimidated. In
trying to help them, he experiences great frustrations and has to constantly remind himself
that these boys, like him, can grow past their anger and their defiance, but the process takes
time and patience. Suskind also offers brief glimpses of his hope for the boys, one boy in
particular who describes himself as “lost” because he knows he shouldn’t go back to this
“street” ways, but he also doesn’t know any other way to live. Changing another person’s
basic way of viewing the world is difficult even when that person is still young, but Suskind
sees the boy’s awareness of his difficult choices as a sign that he is ready and willing to change.
For anyone, the first step to redemption is to reject past behavior and to try to do something
different.
being labeled as delinquents or incorrigibles. Most of us would not survive the circumstances
some kids grow up with, yet we have no problem demonizing them and punishing them
as adults. We should realize that even these children can be helped if only someone
will treat them as struggling human beings instead of as criminals. In lawyer Bryan
Stevenson’s memoir Just Mercy, he recounts his work with death row inmates who are
accused and convicted with limited or biased evidence. As his workload grows and his
reputation spreads, felons convicted as children begin to reach out to him and seek to
have their life sentences overturned. Though Stevenson is reluctant at first, wishing to
focus his energies on unjust death row convictions, once he meets some of these
juvenile offenders (most of whom are now adults), he cannot say no to their requests.
He tells the story of a young boy who shot his abusive stepfather when he was only
fourteen. The boy’s “victim” had beaten the boy’s mother almost to death as the boy
helplessly watched and then turned his anger on the boy; fearful that his mother would
not survive the next attack, the boy killed the stepfather while he was in a drunken stupor.
A reasonable lawyer might have fought the case with a suggestion of self-defense, but poor
people often lack access to reputable legal representation, and the boy’s lawyer provided
little defense on his behalf. By the time Stevenson met the boy, now a man, he was someone
crippled by the system, who recognized the wrong he had done but didn’t understand why
he should spend his life paying for a desperate attempt to save his mother and himself.
Stevenson points out the high cost of imprisoning such offenders, but more importantly,
he notes the inhumane notion of taking someone’s life away at such a young age, condemning
him to life behind bars in a cement cellblock. Until we see struggling kids living lives of violence
and hidden suffering as people who need our help rather than as unsalvageable casualties
who become victims of a cruel cycle,we fail to show true compassion and wisdom.
When we do allow struggling teens to leave the confines of jail, our system offers limited
opportunities for these kids to change the course of their lives; however, changing their
ways is a struggle, and the people who try to help them have to believe that these kids can
find redemption with patient, consistent guidance. Ron Suskind worked as a teacher in an
island school in Maine where teens lived full-time in small groups to receive life skills and
academic education. Suskind describes his work in his memoir, Crossing the Water. Suskind
himself grew up in a single-mother household after his father deserted the family, and with little
money, he and his mother lived in some rough neighborhoods where Suskind developed a
violent temper and a distrust of other people. As he works with boys who have similar
backgrounds, he struggles to remind himself of what he became, a college graduate with
a keen interest in literature. He recounts the rebellious responses he receives when he presents
poetry to the boys, and he describes their willful attempts to make him feel intimidated. In
trying to help them, he experiences great frustrations and has to constantly remind himself
that these boys, like him, can grow past their anger and their defiance, but the process takes
time and patience. Suskind also offers brief glimpses of his hope for the boys, one boy in
particular who describes himself as “lost” because he knows he shouldn’t go back to this
“street” ways, but he also doesn’t know any other way to live. Changing another person’s
basic way of viewing the world is difficult even when that person is still young, but Suskind
sees the boy’s awareness of his difficult choices as a sign that he is ready and willing to change.
For anyone, the first step to redemption is to reject past behavior and to try to do something
different.
For the boys at the island school and the hopeless men in prison, the guidance of someone
else, a lawyer or a teacher, can provide the spark to improve their lives. Beyond guidance,
love and forgiveness can also lead someone on the path to redemption. In The Language of
Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh, the main character is haunted by some dreadful mistake
she made in her past. As a foster child, she was moved from home to home, often suffering
neglect or outright abuse that made her lose trust for basically all other humans. The book covers
her life in flashbacks, recounting her struggles as a child and introducing a character named
Elizabeth who actually treated her well and wanted to adopt her; however, in the present,
Victoria is eighteen and on her own without any contact with Elizabeth, and she is still fearful
of trusting others as she seems to believe she is not worthy of friendship or love due to some
tragedy involving Elizabeth that she will not reveal. When she begins working for a florist using
knowledge she gained from Elizabeth, she also begins to come out of her shell and to try to
interact with the world again. Nonetheless, she keeps Renata, the understanding florist, at
a distance, never telling her about her past or how she has been living on the streets. Only
when she encounters a mysterious flower vendor who seems to show a special interest in
Victoria does Victoria start to let down her guard. Victoria’s past is linked to the flower vendor’s,
and with his kind affection, Victoria starts to revisit her past and acknowledge her tragic mistakes.
By admitting her mistakes, Victoria finds the strength to move past them and to believe
that she can be a person worthy of love. The vendor, rather than playing the role of an
authority figure who helps someone younger, plays the role of equal, the type of people we
all need in our lives as we all crave forgiveness for our flaws and failures. When we receive
the compassion of forgiveness, the trust othersshow us can lead us to live better lives that
make us want to extend that kindness to others.
No human is without flaws and immune to mistakes. When other people believe in our else, a lawyer or a teacher, can provide the spark to improve their lives. Beyond guidance,
love and forgiveness can also lead someone on the path to redemption. In The Language of
Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh, the main character is haunted by some dreadful mistake
she made in her past. As a foster child, she was moved from home to home, often suffering
neglect or outright abuse that made her lose trust for basically all other humans. The book covers
her life in flashbacks, recounting her struggles as a child and introducing a character named
Elizabeth who actually treated her well and wanted to adopt her; however, in the present,
Victoria is eighteen and on her own without any contact with Elizabeth, and she is still fearful
of trusting others as she seems to believe she is not worthy of friendship or love due to some
tragedy involving Elizabeth that she will not reveal. When she begins working for a florist using
knowledge she gained from Elizabeth, she also begins to come out of her shell and to try to
interact with the world again. Nonetheless, she keeps Renata, the understanding florist, at
a distance, never telling her about her past or how she has been living on the streets. Only
when she encounters a mysterious flower vendor who seems to show a special interest in
Victoria does Victoria start to let down her guard. Victoria’s past is linked to the flower vendor’s,
and with his kind affection, Victoria starts to revisit her past and acknowledge her tragic mistakes.
By admitting her mistakes, Victoria finds the strength to move past them and to believe
that she can be a person worthy of love. The vendor, rather than playing the role of an
authority figure who helps someone younger, plays the role of equal, the type of people we
all need in our lives as we all crave forgiveness for our flaws and failures. When we receive
the compassion of forgiveness, the trust othersshow us can lead us to live better lives that
make us want to extend that kindness to others.
humanity despite those weaknesses, we can become better human beings, redeemed from
our pasts and ready to face the future.
