Why are all the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria?

Why are all the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria?

            In the essay “Why are all the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria?” the author discussing the important issue of race growing up in a racial mix schools. Throughout the essay the author uses different examples of situations that young children have to face every day with their peers at school. She also uses strong facts and life experience to help express her opinion of cultural stereotypes and racial boundaries that take place every day.

            I agree with the author when she uses the psychologist William Cross theory of racial identity. I believe that growing up as a young black child, not knowing your true identity can cause one to easily be lead to follow the more dominant culture that they see every day. There is nothing wrong with following cultures and belief that are dominant in your environment. However, I do feel that it does come a time in everyone life where they must try and find out who they truly are. Not going along with stereotypes and racial boundaries that have been set before; but stand, be an individual, and set the new trend for the rest of society and your culture to follow.

            Near the end of the essay using a very familiar issue that many young black children may encounter while they’re in school, “oh come on, I know you people love to dance.” Some people may have taken this as being the generation of today. On the other hand some could take it as she did in the story, find it being a very racial comment, and start a huge up roar. Being in a school where majority is white, and having white friends, makes it harder to talk to them about situations like this, since they lack experience in this area. They can only use the opportunity as a chance to be good listeners, supporters, and friends. All together, I truly enjoyed this essay because it was an easy read and I was able relate on a personal level.

Three Days to See

Three Days to See

            In the essay of “Three Days to See,” the author Helen Keller elaborates on how she feels so many people in the world take their ability to see for granted.  Then she explains everything that she would do if she gained the gift of sight for three days. In spite of Keller’s disability to see or hear, she was able to write this essay giving the reader a close description of the world that she would love to see.

            Throughout the entirety essay, Keller used emotions to persuade the reader to take another look at their everyday life and see how much they over look and take for granted each and every day. In the essay she used a simple example of taking a walk through the woods to get her point across. On this walk her friend noted that she seen “nothing in particular”. However, Keller who can only go by what she touches can go on the same walk and find many interesting things. She uses herself, which is  a very creditable resource having living her whole life blind, deaf and knowing firsthand how people that have the ability to see take it for granted.     

            After reading this well written essay I began to think about how much I truly take my gift of sight and sound for granted each day as I awaken. I also thought about what it would be like to be blind for three days and how very awkward I would feel. However, in doing this I would gain a great respect and awareness of the blind community, realizing what they go through and wishes for the chance to see. Therefore, I strongly agree with the author Helen Keller how people should no longer take for granted their senses because they could be taken from us any moment.

As They Say, Drugs Kill

They Say, Drugs Kill

            In this article, “As They Say, Drugs Kill” the author describes her personal experience of seeing how drugs at a party can kill someone. Throughout this article the author uses great emotional dialect to draw the audience in to the story. By using certain emotions the author was able to describe to the reader everything that was going through her head while her friend was lying on the kitchen floor dying from drugs. As well as using her emotion to try and persuade the reader not to use drugs so they do not end up like her friend dead, lifeless, and on the floor.

            However, the author does lack a lot of facts and statistics on mushrooms as a drug and how dangerous they are for the individuals who uses them. Yes, I do know that drugs can be very dangerous and have the ability to kill you with one use. I also know that this experience could actually happen in real life with another hard core drug. Since the author does not use any statistics or facts showing that mushrooms can have the same affect as heroin, cocaine, or ecstasy. I also would have thought of this incident as a “freak accident.”

            I believe from personal experience of knowing individuals who have used mushrooms that there is more to this story than what meets the eye. This incident could not have happened unless there was another drug involved that the author did not know about. Or her deceased friend had a chemical imbalance in his body that reacted to the drugs that caused cardiac arrest. However, I do agree with the author when she says,” if this death does not make people change, that will be an even bigger tragedy. “Life is too short and you never know when a night of fun with friends can quickly turn into a night of disaster that will change your life forever!  

Crack and the Box

Crack and the Box

            In the essay of “Crack and the Box,” the author indicates and tries to give evidence that there is a relationship between drug addiction and an addiction to watching television. I believe that the author tries to use very weak personal opinion to persuade the reader to see this relationship as he does. However, I do not believe that there is a relationship between the two.

            Throughout this essay the author lacks an extreme amount of facts, statistics, and creditability to back up his point of view. He never states in the essay a study showing the relationship between the two. The evidence provided was his personal life work, which could have been used as facts if the reply was more than “it makes me feel good.” The only evidence that he tries to use in this essay is the use of emotion for the reader to feel somewhat charismatic for the junkie addicted to crack, trying to beg for a dollar just to get another fix.

                        I believe that the television does not influence people to use or sell drugs, but ones’ curiosity to experience the world in a different way than everyone else. I also believe that it has to deal with the environment that the individual was raised in, not television. Many times people tend to do what they know, what’s familiar to them. So therefore, if drugs are what they know than that is what they may do.

I being raised in a generation that watches television in the morning, throughout the week, and on weekends, have not been influenced by the television to use drugs. My parents did their job raising me, regulating the amount of television I watched, and also explain the difference between fantasy and reality that I seen on “the box.” Because of their time, teaching, and dedication in my life, I am now a young adult in college, off the streets, and not strung out on crack, cocaine, or heroin. Therefore, I disagree with the author of this essay when he says “there is a relationship between drug addictions and watching television.”

Don't Blame the Eater

Don’t Blame the Eater

            In the essay “Don’t Blame the Eater,” the author describes how America has grown to be an extremely over weight and obese nation. He also states how “Type 2 diabetes accounts for at least 30 percent of all new childhood cases of diabetes,” according to the National Institutes of Health. The author tries to blame the fast-food industry for a great deal of America’s obesity issues. All though the author may have strong credibility I believe that he lacks logic about how America really is and that everything cannot be blamed on the fast-food industry but the eaters themselves.

            I believe that every person should have responsibility of their self, what they eat and how much they choose to eat fast-food every day. Especially for those individuals who have children and choose to feed them McDonald’s and Burger King every day because they have become too lazy to fix a healthy meal for their family. I do agree that fast-food is not healthy for someone to eat everyday due to its high calorie count, as well as the serious damages it can have on someone’s health. However, no matter how much McDonald’s, Burger King, and the rest of the fast-food industry advertises across this country and the world, they cannot force anyone to eat any of their food.

            The author is correct about the fast-food restaurants not having calorie charts on their food when you buy it like stores do. However, I do know that the fast-food industry has come together and published a book of every fast-food restaurant across America of the calories of each and every food item. Therefore, the general public has the opportunity to gain a greater knowledge of what they are digesting before they choose to order a value meal. Most of Americans usually choose to ignore this information and blame the fast food industry instead of taking blame for themselves or “the eater” as the author calls it. So I disagree with the author and think that the eater should be blamed for their bad life decisions.