The Women of Brewster Place

The Women of Brewster Place is a novel told in several short stories, tying the main characters back to Brewster Place, a housing development. The main characters of these short stories sometimes know each other, or know of each other. They face different issues and struggles within their lives that have drawn them to living in Brewster Place. The personalities of the characters in the short stories determine how they let their surroundings and living conditions conflict with their lives and inner peace. Brewster Place isn’t in the best conditions and there is a wall sectioning off Brewster Place from the rest of the city, confining the residents of Brewster Place within.

            The women who are the main characters throughout the short stories have the similar issues of relationships, loving themselves for who they are, being used and manipulated, and cycles of emotional distress. These issues happen to each character at a different time in a different form since their situations were unique from the next character. They way in which they choose to deal with their issue(s) are also unique according to the individual. I enjoy reading this book with my literature circle because this book presents real life scenarios and we observe and give our opinions on the characters, plot, themes, and actions given in the book.

219 words 

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian and WY

Junior would have the chance to relax as far as worrying about what people may think about him and his family. He’d finally get to be himself, because no one is judging him. He’d be accepted because who someone is doesn’t affect what we view them as. Junior would hang out around the school; I think he’d be found mostly in the arts building drawing. He’d become friends with those he encounter due to the fact that everyone is so friendly. There’d be nothing he’d have to hide because nobody would judge him; he’d definitely be accepted by everyone, which is the environment set up in our school.  

Hiding the reservation

In my eyes, Whitney Young allows everyone to be themselves, which is one of my favorite things about the school. Nobody has to hide who they really are because we embrace the fact that nobody is the same mentally, emotionally, physically, and financially. If there are people hiding things about themselves it’s because that’s their choice, it isn’t forced upon them to hide anything. There are many things that are weird, but inside the walls of Whitney Young, those things are considered normal. We are comfortable in school because we can be ourselves, without worrying about being in cliques because they don’t really exist in our school. 

A Raisin in the Sun/The Great Gatsby American Dream

The American Dream in A Raisin in the Sun and the Great Gatsby differ; these stories are set in different time periods, which sway the ideas of the American Dream, and both also contain different characters with different personalities and struggles. The Great Gatsby takes place in the 1920s, known as the Jazz Age; the main issue during this time was prohibition; A Raisin in the Sun’s time period is the 1950s, which has major racial discrimination problems throughout the country as more African Americans migrate north. The characters in the Great Gatsby may not have the same American Dream, they aren’t even in the same social class, as Nick isn’t rich like Tom and Daisy but isn’t as poor as the Wilsons’. Even though Nick isn’t rich, he can afford to live next door to Gatsby’s mansion in West Egg. One character with a prominent “American dream” in the Great Gatsby was Jay Gatsby; I believe his dream was always to live lavish with wealth. His reasons could have spanned from him coming from a poor family in North Dakota, or his idea that money could win back the heart of his first love, Daisy Buchanan.

                In A Raisin in the Sun, the Youngers are a poor African American family that lives on Chicago’s Southside. The family struggles to make it in their conditions while trying to send one family member to college. Insurance money from the death of Mr. Younger has left his children, wife and grandson with opportunity, and also a dilemma. The son, Walter, has the dream of opening a liquor store as means of stable income for the family; the rest of the family wants to move into a house in a better community to provide a better environment for everyone. The wife, Lena decides to help everyone with their dreams and wishes; she buys a house for the family, and gives the rest of the money to her son, some for her daughter’s schooling funds and the rest for his investment in his business.

                Both ideas of the American dream presented in these stories revolve around money, for future happiness. The methods to reach this happiness differ, I think because these people come from different backgrounds, are of different races, and have different financial situations. They are reaching for the same goal, but the obstacles thrown at them influence the choices they make and the route taken to accomplish this dream. Gatsby uses his connections to help him become wealthy, like Mr. Cody; even though he doesn’t inherit Cody’s insurance money, he knew that he could never go back to living in poverty. The Younger family benefits from a tragedy, the death of Mr. Younger; was it not for his insurance money, his family wouldn’t have had any chance to better themselves, because they were barely making it. Opportunity and influence was the stem of the flower of the American Dream in both of these books; the differences don’t matter because these two elements helped the characters achieve what they thought wouldn’t be obtainable.

510 words

Protest song

Oh I marched to the battle of New Orleans 
At the end of the early British war 
The young land started growing 
The young blood started flowing 
But I ain't marchin' anymore 

For I've killed my share of Indians 
In a thousand different fights 
I was there at the Little Big Horn 
I heard many men lying I saw many more dying 
But I ain't marchin' anymore 

(Chorus) 
It's always the old to lead us to the war 
It's always the young to fall 
Now look at all we've won with the saber and the gun 
Tell me is it worth it all 

For I stole California from the Mexican land 
Fought in the bloody Civil War 
Yes I even killed my brothers 
And so many others But I ain't marchin' anymore 

For I marched to the battles of the German trench 
In a war that was bound to end all wars 
Oh I must have killed a million men 
And now they want me back again 
But I ain't marchin' anymore 

(Chorus) 

For I flew the final mission in the Japanese sky 
Set off the mighty mushroom roar 
When I saw the cities burning I knew that I was learning 
That I ain't marchin' anymore 

Now the labor leader's screamin' 
when they close the missile plants, 
United Fruit screams at the Cuban shore, 
Call it "Peace" or call it "Treason," 
Call it "Love" or call it "Reason," 
But I ain't marchin' any more, 
No I ain't marchin' any more


I Ain't Marching Anymore by Phil Ochs

The song “ I Ain’t Marching Anymore” protests going to fight wars by a soldier whom had experience in numerous battles. He says that he has made many sacrifices, " Yes I even killed my brothers", showing that he did what he had to for his country. The soldier shows that he's tired of fighting by repeating " But I ain't marching anymore"; the soldier is against continuously going to battle. The song refers to many battles from wars throughout history, this could mean that the writer of the song has fought more than once. "Oh I must have killed a million men and now they want me back again." I think the soldier is tired of killing other men over issues that could be solved a different way. He feels that he’s served his time to help his country and war isn’t something he’d like to be involved in again.

“It's always the old to lead us to the war. It's always the young to fall.” The soldier feels like he shouldn’t be fighting a battle he didn’t begin to possibly die from the disagreement of elders. I chose this song because I never thought war solved anything that couldn't be talked out, because after the war an agreement is reached anyway, which could've been reached without fighting. From learning about wars, there are many deaths and soldiers don't survive; I could understand why this soldier doesn't want to go back, there's no guarantee that he/she will come back home this time.  The soldier also stated “Now look at all we've won with the saber and the gun. Tell me is it worth it all”, showing that no matter how many wars we go to there are always more and they are mostly pointless. Wars could damage a person mentally more than physically, which is why I don’t think it’s healthy to continuously return to war if the soldiers survived and got the chance to go back home to family.

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Interview notes in progress

Questions:

1.)    What does America mean to you?

2.)    Do you think the quality of life is as good today as it was in the past?

3.)    How do you measure the quality of success?

4.)    Do you think greater access to education has resulted in the bettering of people’s life as it was presumed?

5.)    What’s your idea of a successful life?

6.)    Is your community a place where success could be achieved?

7.)    How would you benefit from the elements provided in your community?

TaNerykah Berry

1.)    A false sense of security. They say we’re protected but when you say don’t call 911 for being robbed where do we feel safe? A false sense of hope. These schools aren’t teaching what’s necessary they’re teaching what they think we need to learn to see what we can retain.

2.)    Not at all. Life is taken for granted now; people take lives and give them in a matter of seconds.

3.)    There’s always room for success. I cannot set a level for something which is infinite.

4.)    Somewhat, when kids are in school they’re not on the street all day.

5.)    A life where you’ve reached internal happiness and perfect harmony. Being rich and miserable isn’t successful.

6.)    It depends on whether the people want to succeed.

7.)    I wouldn’t.

 

Roosevelt Frierson

1.)    America means this is the land of unlimited opportunities where if you try hard you could start at the bottom and make something of yourself.

2.)    In some areas yes, and in some others no; because there was a simpler time in this country where things didn’t move as fast as they do today and there seems to be a more cohesive community feeling.

3.)    Success is not always measured in terms of money, and if you could find youre true calling and you’re happy with what you’re doing, then you’re a success.

4.)    Yes, without a doubt.

5.)    If you can find something that you’re passionate about doing, can get paid for doing it and giving back to the community.

6.)    Once upon a time probably more so than now.

7.)    Even though it seems that we have more access to education fewer people are willing to utilize this unlimited access, thus limiting the community feeling of togetherness. Once upon a time where neighbors and people in the community were willing to help each other, now it feels like it’s every man for himself.

                                                                                                                                              

Community Inquiry Project

Proposal :
East Garfield Park
Demographics
- White 3.39%
- African American 90.9%
- Hispanic 4.13%
- Asian 0.40%
- Other 1.17%

Interviewees
- Loreal Evans
- Roosevelt Frierson
- Danyell Thompson
- Thecla Redmond
- TaNerykah Berry
- Patrice Smith

The part of the American Dream I see from my neighborhood is that success is possible. There aren't many big lavish homes but, when people in my community strive, they move on to better neighborhoods that have beautiful homes. I think from my interviews I'll find that in order to get to the top, everyone has to start somewhere, even from the bottom.