Griselda Mercado
Susie Huerta
English 1 A
April 18
1. "But then as a wise man once said, the 'lost causes are the only ones worth fighting for'(p.29) The author is trying to say that people like Pedro are the ones we should try to help. This quote stands out to me, because i like the ay it sounds, and it is trying to make it so people will help those that are in need. The other youth the ones that aren't in gangs are doing well, and don't need as much help, yet the ones that need more help are not given that help. I think he means that if you help the, there will be a sense of accomplishment. this quote makes me feel that if people help these youth things would be better for them.
2. "'This will be an example to other gang members,' the judge said." (p.42) This is talking about Pepe when he was given the punishment of 40 years for something he didn't do. There was false information given in court that blamed him, and the judge gave him this sentence, because he assumed Pepe was in a gang and he was trying to scare people in gangs so that they know that if they ever have a hearing they will get a bigger punishment just by being in a gang. I think this quote is important, because it shows how unjust our courts are. Sometimes they punish the innocent harshly just to prove a point, a point that is unconstitutional, because there shouldn't be higher sentences if people are in gangs. This quote makes me angry, because it is unfair what his punishment is, 40 years for something he didn't commit is awful. I don't like the inequality that he got.
3. "Today much of sons and daughters have gone insane, whether they are shooting their classmates, using drugs, or becoming precocious consumers." (p.52) This is trying to answer why young people are in gangs, or drugs. It's saying they are crazy that that is why they are doing those things. The author is trying to say that that is the general assumption. I don't like this belief, because I think there are many factors that come into play as to why people join gangs or do drugs. It makes me feel that people just assume others are crazy if they are doing things that aren't accepted.
I like that you responded to the second quote because it shows an unfair system. I agree with what you are saying because it shows that higher authority has a fixed mindset, which causes them to be unjust. Like you I also got an angry feeling while I was reading this too.
ReplyDeleteI agree with your insight on quote #3, because many people simply judge the actions of others without knowing why they did it. Today, society labels the young generation as people who are only out to do crazy things, and they assume certain things about this generation without actually knowing each and every young individual. Generalizing is not something that benefits those who are actually doing something positive for or in society. When you say "It's saying they are crazy that that is why they are doing those things", you are trying to say that the young generation are only being labeled as crazy because of something that only certain people do.
ReplyDeleteI totally agree with your ideas on your quote #2. And I feel the same very angry for the injustice that higher power can do to minorities. It is ridiculous that a person is basically in jail for his whole life just because being in a gang makes his crime bigger. I do not think that this is the way to go in order to stop violence in communities. The believe of having people in jail do not guarantees that it will stop gangs violence and crime on the cities because statistic has shown that the majority of people that is in jail goes back in a couple of months.
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