On Dumpster Diving, Stigma

Rhys Green
Mrs. Parkinson
English IIIB
5 April 2016

      With the writing of On Dumpster Diving Eighner helps to remove the stigma associated with people living in poverty who Dumpster dive. Eighner writes "take what you can use and let the rest go by" (724) the stigma of Dumpster diving is that whatever they find in the dumpster they keep no matter how useful it is, but with this statement Eighner shows the audience that those who Dumpster dive only take what they need to survive and nothing more. Another stigma associated with Dumpster diving is that the divers take whatever food they find and eat it without taking any precautions. Eighner challenges this notion when he explains that "eating safely from the Dumpsters involves three principles: using the senses and common sense to evaluate the condition of the found materials, knowing the Dumpsters of a given area and checking them regularly"(714). This comment on the strategy of Dumpster diving shows the audience that it is a much more calculated activity than previously thought. Dumpster diving doesn't live up to its stigma of being a messy, haphazard endeavor. It surprisingly falls short based on the fact that it seems very purposeful and safe. 

Inquiry Activity

Rhys Green
Mrs. Parkinson
English IIIB
15 March 2016
What makes someone brave?
There are many types of bravery: fighting for what you believe in, protecting the people you love, or making a hard decision. Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck has many instances that show the bravery that people have in different circumstances. Candy has a very old dog that many people on the ranch believe should be shot to put the animal down. Candy fights back but eventually lets them take the dog, in this scene “Candy lay rigidly on his bed staring at the ceiling” (47). This quote shows that Candy is upset about the death of his dog but remains strong and brave.
In life we must face our fears and be brave for ourselves and for others. Bravery can be found in the smallest moments. Sitting in the doctor’s office waiting for the impending doom of the dreaded shot. A small moment of bravery arises when the needle gets closer to your skin and you look away. But you don't cry and you face your fears. Bravery is both a small moment or a life altering event.

Tableau

Rhys Green

Parkinson

English IIIB

7 March 2016

Poetry during the Harlem Renaissance joined the ideas of poetry and activism to bring certain progressive to 
light. People from all walks of life were immersed in the Renaissance. This fact brought more attention to the causes that the authors and activists were trying to bring to light. Poets like Countee Cullen challenged the norm in hopes that adversity would be challenged head on and would eventually change. Cullen’s poem “Tableau” challenges the idea of segregation, “locked in arm they cross the way the black boy and the white... / the dark folk stare and here the fair folk talk”(2-6). Cullen places his characters in situations that aren’t the norm to challenge the ideals of the times and to bring to light the injustices that are occurring. Cullen shows us how to bring about change in a subtle, unique way and shows us how to reach a broad audience.  

The Importance of Kindness

The Importance of Kindness is a video that encourages the audience to be kind because it can change your life and the lives of others.

Section I, Narrative
One way that George Saunders, the author, does this is by providing a narrative so the audience can connect to the message. “In 7th grade this new kid joined our class,” this quote from the video provides the audience with something that they can relate to, many people knew of a new kid in school or they were that new kid. The use of a narrative allows the audience to receive and comprehend the message on a deeper, more meaningful level. The take away is no longer foreign and becomes more normal and at the same time thought provoking.

Section II, Interesting Information
Saunders delivers interesting information when he speaks about what he did and better yet what he didn't do to stop the bullying from taking place. A quote that represents this is "another human being who is right in front of me suffering and I responded, sensibly, reservedly" this quote helps to point out that the author now realizes that they way that he responded in the particular situation was not the correct way to act. This interesting information helps to prove the point of the piece because the author points out and explores his flaws in that particular moment.

Section III, Surprising Information
In The Importance of Kindness the author wants the to make surprising realizations that they wouldn't have normally had when watching the video. He poses the question "who in your life, do you remember most fondly?... Those who were kindest to you I bet. But kindness it turns out is hard" this quote exemplifies the overall meaning of the passage. Even though kindness is difficult it is necessary to keep those who you love close to you. What makes this video interesting is the fact that when talking about kindness, people don't usually say that it id difficult. But the fact that Saunders addresses it makes a point that kindness is something that is difficult at times but that it is also something that is needed in life.

Catcher in the Rye 2

The vingette that I chose was the scene where Holden sees the nuns with the cheap suitcases. This scene also causes him to have a flashback to when his old roommate was jealous of Holden's expensive suitcases. Holden goes on and on about how he doesn’t like cheap suitcases and how he immediately judges people for having cheap suitcases. Holden tends to make snap judgments about people without thinking about it, but later in the passage when he actually speaks to them, he realizes that they aren’t that bad. This realization also occurs when Holden stops talking about his roommate’s suitcases and more about his personality. This is an interesting side of Holden that we haven’t seen yet in where he makes a snap judgment but then further explores his relationship with that person. 

Catcher in the Rye 9-10

Catcher in the Rye 9-10

In the passage by Daryn Kagan, the author speaks about her newish car and the persistent rattle sounds that it makes while she drives. No one seems to hear this rattle but her and her husband, it is a quiet thing that only they can hear. In the end of the poem Kagan speaks to the fact that everyone has a “rattle in their newish car” everyone has a “thorn in their side” everyone has something that “others can’t see or detect that you’re told to get over”. Kagan believes that everyone has something that they struggle with but can’t seem to shake, something they can’t seem to overcome.

In Catcher and the Rye Holden’s “rattle” is Allie’s baseball mitt.  Holden holds onto the mitt for sentimental reasons which remind him of his brother who passed away from cancer a couple of years prior to the beginning of the book’s timeline. From the way that Holden speaks about his brother the audience can see that he hasn’t completely accepted Allie’s death. Holden holds onto this mitt to hold onto his brother. After Allie’s death Holden breaks his hand after punching out all of the windows in the family garage, after telling this story he says “My hand still hurts me once in a while” (Salinger 50). The fact that Holden sometimes still feels pain in that broken hand, which exemplifies the rage and hurt that Holden felt after Allie’s death, shows that Holden still has that thorn in his side that prevents him from truly living.

Holden never really accepted or truly mourned after Allie’s death. He will always have a silent rattle in his car. 

Thompson Brothers

If you don't follow lacrosse then you may not have ever heard of the Thompson brothers who play at Albany. You may not know that lacrosse is the longest played sport in America. You may not know that Native Americans played it in preparation for battle. Lyle and Miles Thompson are Onondaga Indians from upstate New York who grew up with a lacrosse stick by their sides. In native american tradition all buys grow up playing lacrosse, they recieve their first stick at birth, these sticks are completely hand-made by tribe members and are usually hard wood.

The Thompson brothers did not learn to play lacrosse like other kids around the country do. Their father Jerome Thompson Sr. played lacrosse on the reservation lacrosse team and decided to teach his children the game of their ancestors. They learned how to shoot very differently compared to other children do they used, "wooden sticks and a wooden box, about two-feet wide, with a round hole in the middle barely bigger than the ball itself. That was their net,"(Schonbrun). With this different technique of learning they became powerhouse attackers who could shoot extremely accurately. Below is a video that shows their amazing athletic ability. 

Syracuse University has historically been the college of choice for many native americans, Jerome Thompson the oldest son of the Thompson family did attend college at Syracuse. So the choice to play at Albany by Myles and Lyle, along with their cousin Ty was un expected. Their reasoning was that they wanted to be closer to home and that they wanted to be different like a black swan. With this family more native americans are opening the door to more colleges as options. They are the Beatles of the lacrosse world.