Rachel and her Children essay Essay Example for Free

Rachel and her Children essay Essay We see them almost everywhere! We can hear them around the corner, and we see their shadow from far away. We try to avoid looking directly into their eyes, and we pretend we did not hear them when they talk to us. We walk around the block to avoid them, and walk faster to leave them behind. These people that we consider to be invisible are actually homeless human beings. Homelessness in America remains an issue of deep concern in the 21st century. Without a permanent roof over their head, these people seek refuge in various places such as homeless shelters and tent cities. If they are fortunate they will find a safe place to stay the night. The less fortunate ones are forced to spend their night in public places that are unsafe and unfit to sleep in. Although homelessness is not a new issue to write about, in â€Å"Rachel and her children†, Jonathan Kozol brings us into an entirely new world. A world where the homeless are not just figures with hands held out asking for spare change. He brings us into the lives of these homeless story by story case by case sharing his personal interviews with these unfortunate people. What Kozol describes deeply in the book throughout true incredible stories goes beyond our expectation. Especially in chapter 5,† Distancing ourselves from pain and tears† which is one of the center of the book, the author raises more concern about our attitudes toward poor homeless people. What Kozol means by â€Å"distancing† in the chapter is that people do really care about homelessness. They do understand and feel guilty about what homeless people are suffering day by day. Because of the guiltiness, they try to create a â€Å"distance† by themselves to ignore the responsibility for these homeless people. Instead of blaming the reckless negligence of the government’s welfare system, people end up blaming homelessness for creating their own destitution. In some ways, it is surely that most Americans would have a certain enhanced sympathy toward homeless people. However, not many of us do truly care about them, want to know what the story is behind them becoming homeless, and try to help them get out of their dark side. We do have compassion, but our compassion is not big enough to connect us closer to homeless people. Even though we feel very bad whenever we hear about the poor people, every one of us does have a distance ourselves from homelessness. The first thing that come to my mind and other people’s when thinking about homeless people is that all of them are panhandlers, those who are mentally unstable, and victims of â€Å"dumping† by greedy hospital or drug addiction. Last summer I came to visit my friend who lives in downtown San Francisco. As I was walking down to the bus station, I remember passing an old homeless woman who was asking people for money at the corner of the station. Being careful not to touch her, I dropped a few spare coins in his hand. Automatically assuming that the money I gave her would be used for drugs or alcohol, I looked upon her with contempt. After reading this book, I understand that the woman I saw at the corner of the station could have, at one time, been just like me. Even though being a little proud of just doing something good, I found that I (as well as other people) fail to create a distance from homelessness. At the beginning, Kozol opens his book with the story of Peter and Megan who are living in the Martique homeless shelter. Before ending up being homeless, they had a happy life with their five children. Peter did plumbing and carpentry. He was also a contributing and working. After a fire destroyed the house and all of Peter’s collection of tools he had built up for years, Peter’s family had to struggle in the Martique. By opening with this story, Kozol gives the readers a new vision of homeless people. Stereotypes of the homeless as individuals struggling with mental health issues or substance addictions no longer hold. They used to be normal members in the society just like us, but for some reasons cause them to become destitute. Kozol’s book documents how many homeless were recently employed, cast into homelessness by financial misfortune such as ongoing unemployment, staggering medical bills or medical disabilities. Many homeless people are in their existing condition of living on the streets because of being born poor, while many other homeless people used to have money, fame and property before but lost it all in some big personal or external event. We have never thought what lead those people into their dark sides. We are too hasty to put everyone into the same category. Because of that failure in thinking, we naturally build an invisible distance that separates us from homeless people. There are hundreds of fears which could be called typical of human needs existing inside of us such as: going broke, foreclosure on house, humiliation from public speaking, running out of food, or major disasters†¦. However, a life that is financially is unsecure, and in a depressed economy, the fear of being homeless seems to be considered as the biggest concern for human beings. For those who have been homeless and are now off the street, generally they promise themselves never to let that happen again. Many people now fear being homeless who are close to foreclosure. Too many people bought at the top of the market or re-financed with variable rate deals. Therefore, this fear of being homeless is a real fear. When people are scared of something so much that they cannot face it, they tend to ignore it in order to release the fear that they are going through. We all know that homelessness still exists. We also know that that the number of people who stay in the street as their home, lack of food, tremble because of cold, and carry on so many disease is increasingly higher in every states of the U.S. Since we fear of being homeless, we try to disregard the existence of homelessness. We even blame homeless people for creating their own situation. In order to push away our own â€Å"nightmare†, we unintentionally create the distance between ourselves and homelessness. Not only do we eliminate our â€Å"nightmare† by blaming the homeless people but also we evade our responsibility by making an excuse that there is no â€Å"quick fix† for erasing homelessness in America. That means people who are living in the street have to wait a long time to get a house. Most of us usually think that we already gave a hand for helping homelessness by the tax we pay to the government every year, and that the government themselves have had programs for low-income Americans. However, we do not know that the money the government gives up to help poor people is â€Å"just over a tenth of the federal budget† (131). Yet, that ten percent of the budget was cut into one third by the Reagan budget cuts. In other words, when that amount of money reaches to the homeless people, it means nothing. The question here is: What is the rest of the money gone instead of using to help homeless? The rest of billions of dollars is used for national defense such as: military, weapons, and so-called wars†¦ Without knowing this, we blame homeless people for creating their own destitution instead of the government. The book â€Å"Rachel and her children† incredibly tells stories of homeless people. Each person has his or her own different circumstances, but generally these people used to have the same normal live before they became homeless. Many of us would sympathize with homeless people on the street, but only few truly want to help them get out of their extreme circumstances. In some ways, we still draw ourselves a distance from homelessness either because of our guiltiness or our own fear of being homeless one day. When we confidently give up our little spare coins to homeless people without worrying if they are used for drugs or alcohol, that is when we little by little erase our distance and get closer to these poor homeless human beings. View as multi-pages

Chamique Holdsclaw :: essays research papers

Chamique Holdsclaw is a star on the rise. And considering the height she has already achieved, that's saying something. In her debut collegiate season, Holdsclaw's play sent ripples through the basketball community. Three years later, the ripples have turned into tsunami-sized waves. As a Tennessee freshman, Holdsclaw opened eyes when she scored a team-high 16 points against the 1995-96 USA Women's National Team on Nov. 22, 1995, then helped the Lady Vols to the 1996 NCAA crown. Making it a perfect three-for-three after winning it all again in 1997 and 1998, Holdsclaw earned 1997 and 1998 NCAA Final Four Most Outstanding Player honors for her stellar play. Holdsclaw, as a college junior to be, tried out for and was selected for USA Basketball's 1997 World Championship Qualifying team. Despite being surrounded by 11 professionals during the summer of 97, and despite her lack of international experience, it was Holdsclaw's first trip out of the country, she more then proved herself to USA head coach Nell Fortner and the veteran players like Edna Campbell, Teresa Edwards, and Katie Smith. Finishing as the team's leading scorer and rebounder, Holdsclaw numbers sparkled - 19.0 ppg. and 6.2 rpg. Helping the U.S. to 12-1 pre-competition record then the silver medal and a berth in the 98 World Championships, she had left her mark. While in Brazil at the qualifying tournament, Holdsclaw celebrated her 20th birthday by giving USA coach Fortner a memorable gift. Scoring 32 points (12-14 FGs, 8-8 FTs) and adding seven rebounds, she led the USA to a hard-fought 94-90 victory over Cuba in the semifinals. Throughout the summer, Holdsclaw learned from four-time Olympian Edwards, perhaps one of the best players ever to play for USA Basketball. During the squad's pre-competition tour of Canada, Germany and Slovakia, Holdsclaw and Edwards were roommates, but about halfway through the tour, rooming assignments were to be switched around. Upon hearing that the rooming assignments were going to change, she asked Fortner to let Edwards and her continue to room together. How could Fortner deny her leading scorer? "Last summer, Chamique was surrounded by great players like Teresa Edwards. I think they were really good for each other, the grand dame' and the rookie. She brought some excitement to Teresa, who in turn gave some wisdom to Chamique. She played all over the world, leading the team in scoring and rebounding the whole time. Chamique Holdsclaw :: essays research papers Chamique Holdsclaw is a star on the rise. And considering the height she has already achieved, that's saying something. In her debut collegiate season, Holdsclaw's play sent ripples through the basketball community. Three years later, the ripples have turned into tsunami-sized waves. As a Tennessee freshman, Holdsclaw opened eyes when she scored a team-high 16 points against the 1995-96 USA Women's National Team on Nov. 22, 1995, then helped the Lady Vols to the 1996 NCAA crown. Making it a perfect three-for-three after winning it all again in 1997 and 1998, Holdsclaw earned 1997 and 1998 NCAA Final Four Most Outstanding Player honors for her stellar play. Holdsclaw, as a college junior to be, tried out for and was selected for USA Basketball's 1997 World Championship Qualifying team. Despite being surrounded by 11 professionals during the summer of 97, and despite her lack of international experience, it was Holdsclaw's first trip out of the country, she more then proved herself to USA head coach Nell Fortner and the veteran players like Edna Campbell, Teresa Edwards, and Katie Smith. Finishing as the team's leading scorer and rebounder, Holdsclaw numbers sparkled - 19.0 ppg. and 6.2 rpg. Helping the U.S. to 12-1 pre-competition record then the silver medal and a berth in the 98 World Championships, she had left her mark. While in Brazil at the qualifying tournament, Holdsclaw celebrated her 20th birthday by giving USA coach Fortner a memorable gift. Scoring 32 points (12-14 FGs, 8-8 FTs) and adding seven rebounds, she led the USA to a hard-fought 94-90 victory over Cuba in the semifinals. Throughout the summer, Holdsclaw learned from four-time Olympian Edwards, perhaps one of the best players ever to play for USA Basketball. During the squad's pre-competition tour of Canada, Germany and Slovakia, Holdsclaw and Edwards were roommates, but about halfway through the tour, rooming assignments were to be switched around. Upon hearing that the rooming assignments were going to change, she asked Fortner to let Edwards and her continue to room together. How could Fortner deny her leading scorer? "Last summer, Chamique was surrounded by great players like Teresa Edwards. I think they were really good for each other, the grand dame' and the rookie. She brought some excitement to Teresa, who in turn gave some wisdom to Chamique. She played all over the world, leading the team in scoring and rebounding the whole time.

India Water Pollution

What  is  India  Doing  to  Control  Water  Pollution   Caused  by  Sewage  Waste? Studies  found  that  sewage  waste  is  the  main  cause  of  water  pollution  in  India. The  problem  is caused  by  the  poor  treatment  of  dumping  sewage  and  the  failure  to  maintain  sewage  treatment  plants. The  Central  Pollution  Control  Board,  a  company  that  monitors  environmental  issues  in  India,  has created  the  National  Water  Quality  Monitoring  Network,  which  monitors  the  quality  of  waters  all  year. The  network  monitors  waters  all  over  India.Samples  of  water  are  taken  frequently  and  checked  for bacteria  and  other  harmful  substances  within  the  water. Other  ways  of  sewage  treatment  include  air flotation,  dual  media  filter,  activated  carbon  filter,  sand  filtration  and  sludge  drying  beds. These  methods all  take  place  in  sewage  treatment  plants. Water  treatment  plants  are  very  expensive  and  are  needed  to be  maintained  constantly. Removal  of  sludge  is  said  to  be  the  most  untreated  area  of  water  treatment. This  is  because  of  the  poor  design  and  poor  maintenance  of  the  sludge  treatments. India  has  set  policies to  control  sewage  pollution  in  water. he  Ministry  of  Environment  and  Forests  has  created  financial  and technical  support  systems  to  promote  the  proper  treatment  of  water. The  problem  with  India’s  water treatment  is  that  the  government  is  not  putting  enough  effort  into  making  the  water  Ã‚  usable  for  its  citizens. The  government  should  promote  the  health  hazards  and  future  issues  of  water  pollution  so  the  citizens can  learn  to  treat  their  water  better. Informing  citizens  is  also  a  way  of  treatment  because  people  will  be aware  of  the  issues  water  pollution  will  cause  for  them  and  therefore  they  will  take  action.

Animal Farm Or Ussr Part II - 1243 Words

Cliffy Smith James Hensley Pre-IB LA 10 10 April 2015 Animal Farm or USSR Part II Animal Farm written by George Orwell is a hopeful novel about a group of animals that overthrow their farmer and create an animalistic government. Much like All the King’s Men a novel by Robert Penn Warren, Animal Farm has strong political undertones relating to the the skewed government of Soviet Russia. Throughout the book many animal characters can be identified with the political leaders and influences throughout Soviet Russia. According to New World Encyclopedia, â€Å"New Historicism is an approach to literary criticism and literary theory based on the premise that a literary work should be considered a product of the time, place, and historical circumstances of its composition rather than as an isolated work of art or text.† Animal Farm and it’s direct correlation with the USSR connects New Historicism and the impactful writing of Orwell with fluidity and ease. New Historicism is a criticism developed in the 1980’s by a Harvard English professor named Stephen Greenblatt. This criticism takes a look at every aspect of the story including the author’s political and emotional bias. It was used to bring outside information and cultural context into the book and create a deeper meaning for the reader. New Historicism gained widespread influence in the 90’s through its new way for reading and analyzing a story. Judith Newton explains New Historicism as a criticism that â€Å"aims to subject theShow MoreRelatedElements in George Orwells Animal Farm861 Words   |  4 PagesAnimal Farm, written by George Orwell, depicts a group of animals who plot to destroy their master, Mr. Jones. The oldest and wisest pig on the farm, Old Major, told the other animals a story about a revolt called, The Rebellion. The pigs, which were considered to be the most intelligent of all the animals, devised a plan and successfully conquered Manor Farm. The animals ran the farm effectively, with the pigs overseeing and constantly developing new ideas. One pig, Snowball, was in favorRead MoreOctober Revolution and Animal Farm1439 Words   |  6 Pagesï » ¿Dylan Hearn 2nd 9/24/14 Animal Farm 20 Questions Webquest    Directions: Please use the suggested links to find answers to each of the questions below. Be sure to paraphrase (not copy) the answers/information you find on the internet.   All these questions will have parallels in Animal Farm, so be sure to pay careful attention!    For questions #1-2, please refer to your copy of the novel and to this website http://www.k-1.com/Orwell/site/opinion/essays/rhodi.html 1. What was George Orwell’sRead MoreThe Characteristic Of Snowball By George Orwell885 Words   |  4 PagesKhatun Prof: John Remarek Language and Composition 10th Dec 2017 Characteristic of Snowball Animal Farm is an allegorical book which was written by George Orwell. 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In March 1948 Belgium, France, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and the UK signed the TREATY OF BRUSSELSRead MoreAnalysis Of George Orwell And Animal Farm Essay2095 Words   |  9 PagesRichard Cortez Professor Sharon Pittman HUM 314 13 December 2016 George Orwell and Animal Farm: The Provocative Written Word in Political Protest INTRODUCTION AND THESIS Many writers, artists, novelists, journalists, and the sort seek to bring awareness to political and cultural issues through their work. It is not often, though, that their work attains such critically acclaimed status and subsequently creates a platform by which people are moved to respond to the writing’s purpose. George OrwellRead MoreThe World And Its Economic Systems Essay2422 Words   |  10 Pageseconomic systems been to, at an ever increasing rate.   Over thousands of years civilization have developed the means to master resources, such as, land, water and even the heavens. Agriculture allowed the human race to no longer rely on migrant herds of animals, but to settle and look to the ground beneath them for a continued supply of basic needs. Dale and Carter argue, â€Å"both civilization and the enjoyment of civilization rest on the surplus production by those who supply the necessities of life† (1955Read More Animal Farm as a Political Satire to Criticise Totalitarian Regimes4636 Words   |  19 PagesAnimal Farm as a Political Satire to Criticise Totalitarian Regimes This study aims to determine that George Orwells Animal Farm is a political satire which was written to criticise totalitarian regimes and particularly Stalins practices in Russia. In order to provide background information that would reveal causes led Orwell to write Animal Farm, Chapter one is devoted to a brief summary of the progress of authors life and significant events that had impact on his political convictions. Chapter