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.