Thursday, September 24, 2015

Rich-heard Road-ree-guess (Argument)

Rich-heard Road-ree-guess = Richard Rodriguez 
     In his memoir Aria: A Memoir of a Bilingual Childhood  Richard Rodriguez discusses his struggles of coming to America with English being his second language.  How all noises around him were so foreign, not just the language itself but the actual noises that come along with speaking english.  The pronunciations were so exotic to him. In this memoir Richard discusses the importance of bilingual immigrants becoming assimulated with the english speaking culture in America and that immigrants should not be spirited in bilingual classrooms or schools.
   Richard argues that although many minorities struggle with the fact that they are loosing their cultures individuality, they are not recognizing that they are also loosing their public individuality. By creating the bilingual schools and teaching, Richard explains that you are taking away the chance to be part of the society and find your place and part in American society. After all you are in America so why not try and become a part of it's culture and society? Richard argues that there are two different types of individuality, "They do not seem to realize that a person is individualized in to ways. So they do not realize that, while one suffers a diminished sense of private individuality by being assimilated into public society, such assimilation makes possible the achievement of public individuality" (Rodriguez 580).  That there is a separation you create with an immigrant and the public with this type of private individuality. Richard argues that once an immigrant is americanized they soon become a part of the society walking around them, instead of feeling like a foreigner walking amongst Americans. By isolating yourself from the American culture you create this loneliness as well.  While your walking the streets there may be people around you, but you feel disconnected and not a part of they world. Richard argues this feeling of aloness when speaking about when he was younger in his home; that his family had no connections with any neighbors, they never had any visitors to their home other than family. He would watch kids on his street but not know their name or who they are.  He also argues that he would feel alone and scared when going to the store, not understanding the pronunciations and words of the English language that everyone was speaking. Richard describes this isolation he felt because of the issue of not becoming Americanized. He argues that he could not consider himself a member of the crowd until he joined it. So he feels that the bilingual schooling is just alienating these immigrant children even more.  Causing them more separation from the society and world around them.

This argument kept bringing Delpit to the front of my mind.  That also one day when these children become adults and have careers, that their lack of becoming a part of our society with just hurt them more than help. It will cause "The Silenced Dialogue" (Deplit) that Deplit speaks about. Their voices won't be heard because they will not have the power.  They will be completely falling under Delpit's second code of power which is "There are codes or rules for participating in power; thats is, there is a "culture of power" (Delpit 24). Meaning that there are communicative codes and rules to go by in order to gain power in any conversation. So if you have no idea what the other person is saying, or fail to answer in their culture then you are automatically giving that person the power in that conversation.  I believe this is a point that Richard is arguing, that to be heard in society you need to become a part of that society's culture.
I believe this to be true. In order to become an active part of society, you need to become an active part of the culture.  Im not saying you have to go eat McDonalds, and slap the American flag on your front yard, but to speak the language of the culture will bring a person such a long way in society.


COMMUNICATION IS KEY  










  

   

Sunday, September 20, 2015

Amazing Grace-Quotes



     In Mott Haven, Bronx, New York, thousands of ill, poor, and homeless people reside here.  This area is filled with New York's filth, garbage, and toxic waste. The streets filled with drugs, prostitutes, death, drug dealers, junkies, AIDS, HIV, and constant crime.  However, this is not how many of these people choose/want to live.  They want a way out, but our government is not giving them one. 

Quote #1. "Crack-cocaine addiction  and the intravenous use of heroin, which children I have met here call "the needle drug", are woven into the texture of existence in Mott Haven"(Kozol 4).
     - Drugs are shown everywhere in this part of the Bronx. Some children even come out of their mothers bodies addicted to these harsh illegal narcotics. This quote directly shows the way drugs are intertwined with the actual existence of this community. Children are looked down upon for doing the drugs, but they're surrounded by it. It's like growing up in a home where drugs are not done, 9 out of 10 times you will not end up doing drugs. It is not the people fault they are in this dangerous environment, but actually the governments fault. Just like in the last article we read in class about Kristof and the "Land of Limitations". We limit these people in this community to thinking that drugs and crime is all they know and theres no more opportunity, or purpose for them but to just keep doing these drugs and committing these crimes.  We make the light at the end of the tunnel seem non-realistic for people in Mott Haven, and in many other poor communities across the globe.

Quote #2. "Why do you want to put so many people with small children in a place with so much sickness? This is the last place in New York that they should put poor children. Clumping so many people, all with the same symptoms and same problems, in one crowded place with nothin' they can grow on? Our children start to mourn themselves before their time"(Kozol 11). 
     -These future generations have no helping hand. The people that they lean on are the reason they can't leave.  Their families and parents don't know how to leave this type of community so how can they teach the younger generations to? This quote is showing how the government pushes everyones who they feel is too sick, and too unhealthy for regular society into these little communitties where they stagnantly stay and never flourish or grow.  The statement that "children start to mourn themselves before their time", is so poerwful. It's stating it all right in those few words, that the second the children come into this world in Mott Haven, they are already looking forward to a life full of no hope or prosperity. The treatment of the people in these communities is also why children should mourn before their time, because by the time their 20 they will have breathed in dangerous chemicals from all the waste and garbage plants around Mott Haven causing many harmful illnesses. Also many children have asthma problems and the air is filled with harmful odors. The city is made unliveable, but somehow we force people to live here. Not only is there chemicals in the air but HIV and AIDS run ramped in Mott Haven. So what hope is there? And what good does it do creating generation, after generation of sick, poor junkies? How are we as a country benefiting from this? Because there has to be some beneficial reason as to why our government would keep pushing down on these people, giving them NO hope for a brighter day. Why would we want our fellow Americans to feel this way, to feel as if life itself has no meaning or purpose, that we truly just live to die... why is this okay for others to feel this way, and do nothing about it? 

Quote #3. "I don't know why. A lot of people ask for it. Maybe they figure people in our situation couldn't buy the things they advertise so they wouldn't see us as good customers" (Kozol 17). 
    -In this quote a woman is explaining to Kozol how she cannot obtain the New York Times in her store.  She explains that they won't sell it to her to sell to the public.  This quote is her reasoning as to why they might not sell the Times magazine to her. It's as if the government ignores these people, and does not recognize them as an active citizen of the United States. The craziest part is that they are as much American as I am. I am a white middle-class young adult, and this woman may be an Hispanic poor adult, but she is still ash much of an American and PERSON as I am. The government won't allow them to be involved in our society, because they won't even let them know whats going on in it.  They say these people are uneducated, but they do not know whats going on in this country BECAUSE OF THIS COUNTRY. This quote is supporting the point that Kozol is making, that the poorest of the poor are isolated, and abandoned by our government. We are caging these people and then saying well its their fault they're not leaving. We need to lend the hand that they can grasp, without that hand they will be reaching for something that is not there; and this is how most of these people feel, that they are reaching for just a dream and not reality.  












Sunday, September 13, 2015

land of "Opportunity" hyperlink


America, the land of opportunity right? Not right, we make it seem that everyone can come here with a path paved in gold for them. But in reality that path is filled with struggle, hardship, and no opportunity, but barriers and set backs. In the article USA, Land of Limitations? by Nicholas Kristof he explains that these lower class people that come here looking for that opportunity to thrive never are given the chance to do so. Our society likes to do something called "Blaming the Victim", I am learning about this right now in my social work class, and that means that we would rather say its their fault for not working hard enough to be in middle or high class, when in actuality people in lower class work harder than anyone in this country. They are our construstion men, our servers at all hours of the night in fast food resturants, and the people who fill in all the jobs that we higher class people don't feel like doing. The opportunity for them is slim, its almost impossible to come out of the lower class and OUR SOCIETY makes it impossible, not the people. Some of the men and women of our age believe that the only way to get out of the struggle is to become famous somehow.  The singer 2pac raps about the struggle and how hard it is to become something when society looks at you as nothing. He explains the struggle of a rise growing from concrete, it is possible but as Kristof would say its only a small or slim chance that it happens. And its that deception that we can make something out of anybody in this country, but they expect people to do it with absolutely no help, especially in the lower class.  For example housing is important, many can't move out of the lower class neighborhoods because the rent is so inexpensive and their jobs can't afford to live anywhere else, and if they go to school the government won't give them as much money compared to if they worked 20 plus hours a week with no school. We want to keep people down as a country and not watch our lower class grow, but be stagnant in the same place.  
     Kristof talks about a man named Rick who had to forcefully drop out of school because the principal decided to suspend him for six months instead of talking to rick and finding out the real problem, and seeing that he was the victim in this situation.  It's that judgmental mind we have that this kid is low class, and so he must just be a little punk.  No its not that at all, its that this kid experienced more in life than that principals children ever will, and had to learn how to survive at the age of 5!! Just think about that, 5 years old...  But this is what our country does, we don't help.  We watch people struggle and then say its their fault for struggling in the first place. If you search the web there are many personal stories of people who struggle with our governments welfare and are trying to get a move on in life, and make something of themselves. The personal story I hyperlinked is about a man who has a personality disorder and can barley live off of the money he is given, and sometimes starves because he does not have enough money for food.  He also has no education so it is difficult to get a good job that he can survive and make an actual living from.

WE OPRESS, NOT HELP PROGRESS






About Ilana T, who am I?

Hello, My name is Ilana Tirocchi!I  am 20, my birthday is October 21st, and I have an amazing brother, mother, father, boyfriend, and dog!  

School life:
     My life is very hectic and exciting! I am enrolled in the Youth Development program at Rhode Island College. I also have a concentration in Juvenile Justice, and Psychology. The reason I chose this path is because I love children and I love helping those who do not have a voice in this society. Children, especially children of color, are never heard, so I plan on making their voices loud enough for all of America to see that they do have a voice and they will use it!

Work Life:
     Work is usually a part of my life I complain about, but this year i recently acquired two new jobs and both of them are wonderful. I work at Perspectives Corporation & The Rhode Island College Bookstore!At Perspectives, I work with an autistic child in his home on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday after he gets out of school.  There I teach him lessons so he can obtain skills that he will need as he matures into a young adult.  Skills like eating correctly with a fork, or learning what colors names are, or even brushing his hair and teeth.  These are all skills that may seem easy to us, but challenging to him.  He's an amazing kid with an amazing heart and I wouldn't trade the job for the world. My other job is at our own RIC bookstore! I know many people in my classes recognize me because of the craziness at the begging of the semester book rush!! Because I was the one running from person to person trying to help everyone decode the ways of the bookstore and figure out where the hell their books were! But I love both jobs, working with and helping people, I couldn't ask for more <3. 

Home life:
     What do I do on my days off, or even in the summer????? WELLLL this summer i was lucky enough to go on TWO amazing trips!! One was a trip to Cancun, Mexico!!!!! :) This trip was with mis primas (cousins) y mi mejor amiga (my best friend)! The trip was out of this world amazing, just so much fun and relaxation. Lay on the beach ALL day and party ALL night!! My kind of vaca!! The next Amazing trip I was able to experience this summer was a beautiful trip to California!!<3 All I have to say is, Proff Bogad, why would you leave such an amazing place!!!!!!! lol. I can still picture myself coasting down the pacific Coast highway with my boyfriend, his mother, and his aunt. About two years ago I visited California with just my Boyfriend. It's becoming my favorite place!! Everyone is so nice, and oh yeahhh I got to meet/see some celebs int this beautiful state. I saw Carson Daly, and met Jeff Goldblum! You could say I'm famous now. But in all seriousness these trips made not only my summer but my whole year, I love love love love love to travel and visit new places and try new food and experience new cultures!! I tried a new food in Cancun and California that I will post pictures of!!! New experiences open the mind to so many possibilities!! Besides just this summer, in my regular alone time, I like to take a drive to the beach, or go to block island or even just hang outside by the fire! I hate being confined in a house or any building!! Im not someone to go out to clubs a lot or drink till you can't say your own name; I am more of a person who like to experience life in fun and exciting ways! For my 20th birthday I will be going sky diving!! Wish me luck <3 
freshman year at RIC!

my little baby boy Biggie <3

Cancun three years ago with my family !!

my boyfriend brandon and I


My best friend and Family in Cancun this summer!

Mango with spicy stuff in Cali!

kisses on the pier in Cali!

Pourt Hueneme Pier

Cactus in Cali!

Some weird fruit in Cancun!!! Delish!

Cancun with the bestie!!

little fish on the sand in Cancun

my view in cancun <3

plane ride en route to Mexico!!! 




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