Hunger Of Memory

Richard Rodriquez, Hunger of Memory Caitlin Rennell

Quotes:

"Memory teaches me what I know of these matters; the boy reminds the adult. I was a bilingual child, a certain kind---socially disadvantaged---the son of the working-class parents, both Mexican immigrants."
This quote means that Richard's memories are what reminds him that he was the outcast at one point. He was a son of Mexican's who traveled over here to America to live a better life. They work hard for their kids. He's memory is of how he was disadvantaged in the fact that he didn't speak english, so he had to struggle to learn it and communicate with people around him.
This contributes to the reading because this reading is about his childhood growing up as a boy fluent in spanish not being able to understand anyone. His parents started to speak english at home instead to help him and eventually he looses his confidence in speaking spanish.

"I grew up victim to a disabling confusion. As I grew fluent in English. I no longer could speak Spanish with confidence."
This quote means that he grew up confused on what language he should be speaking and knowing. The more he learned to speak english the more he lost his heritage and language of spanish.
This contributes to the reading because he was forced to learn english to become part of our society making him forget his heritage and his language.

"An Hispanic-American writer tells me, "I will never give up my family language; I would as soon give up my soul."
This quote means that the writer would never loose his heritage and language because it would be like loosing his soul.
This contributes to the reading because richard lost his soul because he gave up his family language when he learned english and grew up to it making him less confident in his language.

Questions/Comments:
I think this reading was very interesting in how it illustrated how important it is to remember who you are. It was good to read a little hard to follow at times but other then that good. It relates to SWAAMP which has to do with every other text we've read. It has to do with being someone other then white and who our english language is superior.
Why did his parents starting speaking english at home instead of keeping to spanish?
As an adult do you think he should make sure his kids grow up remembering their language and who they are?

Amazing Grace

Jonathan kozol and Amazing Grace Caitlin Rennell

Quotes:

"I went to the clinic last week with my mother. Out in front there was a table set up on the street. On the table there was paper bags with condoms and clean needles. I saw the prostitutes lined up waiting for the condoms. I saw the drug users lined up waiting for the needles. It was like seeing a line of ghosts. It looked like all the people there were dying."
This quote means these health clinics are supplying people with materials that they think will help keep people protected from STDs but in the end the needs will become dirty once again and are only being used for drugs and shooting up and the condoms could break they aren't a hundred percent.
This quote contributes to this article because this little boy David who's taking care of his sick mom is seeing these people waiting for needles and condoms knowing exactly who they are, as well as seeing that these people are killing themselves. They all are high or possible carrying STDs but either way are wasting their lives away.

"I believe that we were put here for a purpose, but these people in the streets can't see a purpose. There's a whole world out there if you know its there, if you can see it. But they're in a cage. They cannot see."
This quote means that god puts on us on earth for a reason we are here for a reason, but some of us are to blind to see their purpose in life so they waste it. They do not see all thats in front of them how much potential they have as human beings.
This quote contributes to this article because the people who are out their selling their selves or doing drugs are wasting away who they are, while people are dying of cancer or aids and don't have that long to live. Either way these people need to open up their eyes and stop wasting the person they are and live up to their potential.


"Heroin's making a comeback in our neighborhood. There's something different in it from before, so it's stronger and, I guess, more lethal." He tells one of the street names for the drug is "DOA" - dead on arrival. "If you walk on St. Ann's Avenue at night, you hear the dealers call it out. It's like they're saying, "Come on over here. I'll show you how to end my life.' The dealers are sometimes jittery. They look at you with this strange smile. It's not just hatred. It's as if they're laughing at their lives-and yours."
This quote means that drugs are getting worse as the years go on and more deadly. It says that drug dealers though they don't realize it but they are pretty much asking people if they'd like to end their lives and giving people who want to end their lives a way and that's pretty much told them its ok to commit suicide.
This quote contributes to this article that drugs especially in this story have taken over peoples lives more like young teenagers to people in their late twenties. When teenagers go through bad childhoods or live in a poor household or even with abusive parents its more then likely they will end up in jail and/or get into jail. Just like in this story theres death of children, drugs, and even STDs.

Questions/Comments/Points to Share:

This article left me speechless. Theres so many horrific things going on in this world. People who have had hard childhoods have grown up blind to their potential getting into drugs or prostitution not realizing that they are wasting who they are till its to late and they are dying of cancer or aids. To read this article was intense. It was like hearing that humanity isn't perfect for the first time. A lot of people are really blind to all that was stated in this article. Not everyone is as privileged. Someone dies everyday. This shows the class level of SCAAWMP for all these people are in the lowest level living the poorest lives. Nothing about the middle or high class having these horrific issues.

Why aren't we doing something about people who are suffering and lowering themselves to prostitution and/or drugs? Why are we letting humanity deteriorate like this?

Introduction

Im Caitlin a freshman at Rhode Island College and in my second semester, which is surprisingly going really well except for the fact that I'm sick already. I enjoy all my classes and plan to apply for the school of education this year. In my free time when I'm not in classes I'm either hanging with my friends, reading, doing homework, eating, or semi boring stuff. I don't know what else to write so I will leave it as it is and come back to this if I can think of anything else.