Writing Prompt

Racism is just not fair

Sometimes I just don’t care

People shouldn’t be hating on color

I hate the “N” word like no other

Word I’ve hated before

The “N” word is just like the word ‘whore’

Offensive hurtful discrimination

We should be united as a nation

Enrique Pichardo                                                                        1/21/14

Reading Response on Nonfiction

Vergara vs. California Case is an article about a 12th grade girl who is trying to persuade the state of California to fire the teachers that are ineffective and give an inappropriate education. “We think it’s simple: reward and retain passionate, motivating, effective teachers and hold those accountable who are failing our children.” What this quote shows me is that Vergara thinks that  teachers should not be failing kids and should give a better education.

Vergara will try to make an opportunity for teachers and make a better program which will be more beneficial to students. Teachers might lose their jobs if this act is passed by the state of California. New teachers might automatically lose their jobs if this is passed.

What this article shows me is that the state of California’s education might be flawed. Although the education system may be flawed in California, the act might not pass. The reason why this act might not pass is because many people will lose their jobs and can hurt the economic system of the US if other states adopt this act.

http://studentsmatter.org/our-case/vergara-v-california-case-summary/

Enrique Pichardo                                                                                                        3/5/14

808                                                                                                                                 ELA

Nonfiction Reading Response

The article Edward Snowden: Traitor or Hero? is about espionage and how Snowden stole top secret government files. Eric Snowden was a computers systems contractor working for the N.S.A, he was able to steal an abundance of highly secret documents about classified surveillance programs. Snowden decided to make the files public to journalists which had then started a national debate about how much privacy is worth sacrificing to prevent terrorist attacks within the United States.

Edward then took a plane to Hong Kong with the N.S.A files that contained Americans private information like phone calls. Snowden then brought over 2 reporters and a filmmaker to a hotel in order to discuss business. Snowden then handed the N.S.A documents over to the reporters. Some citizens state that Snowden is a hero but others say that he’s a villain.

Many say that if the government let Snowden off easy, it’ll be a huge mistake. Among the things Edward revealed was how the military secures the telephone and computer networks and other details about some military operations This then influenced a report by the DIA to conclude that Edward made the American Forces overseas more vulnerable.

                   CTQ: Code Name Verity
How does this text address the point of views, especially those who usually don't get to tell their side?

  In the book 'Code Name Verity' by Elizabeth Wein, 2 spies, one of them codenamed 'Kittyhawk' (lol) and 'Verity', are on an airplane which crashes. Eventually they are captured and are taken as prisoners. Through at the book we get both of their point of views, which in my opinion, is really unique (not many books do that).

  The point of views in the book are very different and obviously tells us the different parts of the book. Verity's point of view explains the relationship that Kittyhawk (Maddie) and her have as friends, she also explains why she went to France. Once we get to Maddie's point of view, we are told what happened after the plane has crashed. Verity's point of view is basically the whole story and the beginning of the story. Maddie's point of view is basically the aftermath of the story due to the fact she talks about what happened after the plane crashes and what Verity and her are forced to do.

  In my opinion, the fact Elizabeth Wein uses two characters to explain the whole story is really unique. Most of the time there is a narrator which tells the story but having two characters explaining the different perspectives adds more details and possibly we would've missed specific details if we did not have the two perspectives.

                                                             Living in New York
  What inspires me about New York are the people and the awesome lights. People in New York are most of the times nice but sometimes mean and angry and do not want to be bothered. The lights in New York are kind of a way of saying 'Welcome to New York! Enjoy your stay!' There are many things to do in New York, many places to go, many things to explore, etc. New York is also a great place to live and many people come here to have a tour of New York and it's amazingness.

  The problems I see in New York is the crime that happens within it. Many people are murdered, robbed of their fortunes, sexually assaulted. I wish that the crime rate would go down in New York because New York is a nice place to live and if people who are coming here now get robbed/murdered, then New York is not really a good place to be. I also see a lot of garbage on the streets and a lot of graffiti nearly everywhere. Sometimes there's murals but most of the time it's gang graffitis or something else that's bad.

                                              Monday Muses 2             
   My favorite picture book from my childhood is Diary Of A Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney. My specific memories from the book were the hilarious and awesome looking drawings on every page. Although the comedy of the book kinda blinds the reader from knowing the moral lesson of the book, the lesson relevant to real life due to the fact it teaches you the difficulties of growing up. The most memorable moment from the book is when Greg the protagonist makes a fool out of his brother's band by uploading an embarrassing video of his mom dancing beside them while the band is playing.

 Young teens are being limited to reading books with controversial issues. Many parents and other individuals are trying their hardest to ban books with issues that may seem offensive and highly inappropriate such as books that involve alcohol/tobacco use, gruesome violence, offensive language, rape, and drug use. Most kids understand these issues as they're growing up will understand these issues however. Parents might feel as if kids do not understand these issues however and are trying they're hardest to ban these books. One book that many adults find offensive is the series 'The Hunger Games' by Suzanne Collins due to it's violence and it's offensive language.

  Adults who said that 'The Hunger Games may seem insolent and might inspire kids to actually fight to the death (sounds ridiculous I know). Although the book may have violence, you must understand the story to know the reason they are fighting to the death. Even if the book was banned, many people would want to start reading this book to actually see if it is offensive and deserves to be banned. The Hunger Games shouldn't even be banned because it doesn't really offend anyone out there. Many books deal with sexuality, drugs, murder, but The Hunger Games don't really target anything like that.

 Another reason The Hunger Games should not be banned is because it is a work of fiction. (Now this reason may seem ridiculous) It is not meant to be taken as if it actually happened. If a book that was non fiction had controversial issues such as alcohol use or offensive language, should that book be banned. Most people would say no because it's teaching you something. Books that also have issues that may seem insolent can also teach you moral/life lessons which help you throughout growing up.

  In conclusion the Hunger Games should not be banned because it is a great book and in a few years, will be seen as a classic book. It teaches you life lessons and is a work of great fiction. If the book is ever banned it will become even more popular due to people's curiosity and seeing if the book is actually offensive.