Throughout my academic career we have always talked about the Civil Rights Movement. We have tried to understand what life must have been like for an African American. The struggle of what the blacks had to undergo will probably never be completely understood, but The Ethics of Living Jim Crow was a very powerful essay that gave an insight of Richard Wright's life and what he endured when racial tension was at its peak.
Richard begun his essay by describing his childhood. What begun as a simple game warped into a plethora of stressful feelings and unanswered questions. Richard grew up in a place where the only abundance was cinders. The only vegetation that he could observe was located in the white neighborhood. There were always wars that broke out between the two neighborhoods but after broken bottles gashed Richard and he was punished by his mother, that's when he started to understand that he wasn't equal.
Later in his life he encountered more racial tensions while he was working. When working for two people, he was beaten for not saying "Mr. Pease." He was then driven off in a heartbeat. It amazes me how black people were treated, and how they were punished for little things that wouldn't even matter in the present world. This was only the beginning for Richard.
There were many other scenarios that he encountered such as being beaten for saying "no" to a drink and after looking at a prostitute in the presence of a white man, he was scolded to never do it again. Richard witnessed a women being brutally beaten and then arrested for wobbling from her wounds because she was supposedly drunk. All of these actions were because of the Jim Crow laws. I find these laws incredibly unethical due to the cruelty.
Even though there were many whites that followed the cruel ways of the Jim Crow laws, there were some that aided the blacks in anyways that they could. Richard explained how there was a white man who lent him a library card so he could expand his knowledge. Just these little things can go a long way for people that have very little.
Reading this essay made me feel a numerous amount of emotions that relate to the movement that changed the way we live forever. I'm very glad I had the opportunity to indulge in this amazing read and I recommend this to anyone who wants to see first-hand on how the treatment of blacks were.
Tuesday, July 9, 2013
Monday, July 1, 2013
Talk of the Town
When reading the opening sentences of John Updike's essay, it became obvious that it was another description of the terrorist plot that destroyed the World Trade Center. This essay clearly described the shock and awe feeling that brought chills down the world's spine. The message was very clear that John thought his sensations were deceiving him, and his mind couldn't bear the fact that the towers were now debris. "We knew we had just witnessed thousands of deaths; we clung to each other as if we ourselves were falling." Short, but this sentence is extremely powerful. Looking back 11 years, I can still remember watching both of the towers collapse, and all of the lives that were lost.
Sometimes the initial shock of a tragedy isn't as bad as the aftermath. The essay explains how the nightmare is still on due to all of the bodies and rubble that needs to be cleaned and repaired. Just last Friday, my wisdom teeth were removed. The procedure lasted 45 minutes, and there was no pain at all because of the adrenaline and medications that I was given. Living through the upcoming days, I encountered serious pain for long periods of time. Comparing both of these scenarios, it can be concluded that the aftermath is much more gruesome and time consuming than the initial incident.
Freedom is an amazing privilege, and with freedom comes responsibility. After this attack Americans were questioning how much freedom was the responsible choice? Updike mentioned how freedom was the elixir for mankind, and it should always be offered even for the few that abuse this elixir. With this in mind, Susan Sontag wrote an essay on the same topic, but she wrote it in more of a political perspective. Freedom got twisted into a perspective of superpowers and countries with the most freedom. Obviously, America was the targeted superpower. Sontag also described how the leaders of our nation told us that everything was fine and dandy, but they didn't have many followers. Coming from the essay, Susan wanted the government to speak the truth and not just manipulative comforts. I agree completely with her standpoint. When we are in danger, we look to leaders for strength, and to speak the truth in an uncomfortable situation is very brave.
Both of these essays were very detailed and interesting. It was satisfying to indulge in a political perspective and a first person perspective. I admired Updike's essay more than Sontag's because it was very easy to relate my emotions to this terrible tragedy. Both had overlapping key points such as freedom of choice and the aftermath. After reading these essays, I have learned that there are many different viewpoints to look at and that I can still learn more about an event that occurred 11 years ago.
Sometimes the initial shock of a tragedy isn't as bad as the aftermath. The essay explains how the nightmare is still on due to all of the bodies and rubble that needs to be cleaned and repaired. Just last Friday, my wisdom teeth were removed. The procedure lasted 45 minutes, and there was no pain at all because of the adrenaline and medications that I was given. Living through the upcoming days, I encountered serious pain for long periods of time. Comparing both of these scenarios, it can be concluded that the aftermath is much more gruesome and time consuming than the initial incident.
Freedom is an amazing privilege, and with freedom comes responsibility. After this attack Americans were questioning how much freedom was the responsible choice? Updike mentioned how freedom was the elixir for mankind, and it should always be offered even for the few that abuse this elixir. With this in mind, Susan Sontag wrote an essay on the same topic, but she wrote it in more of a political perspective. Freedom got twisted into a perspective of superpowers and countries with the most freedom. Obviously, America was the targeted superpower. Sontag also described how the leaders of our nation told us that everything was fine and dandy, but they didn't have many followers. Coming from the essay, Susan wanted the government to speak the truth and not just manipulative comforts. I agree completely with her standpoint. When we are in danger, we look to leaders for strength, and to speak the truth in an uncomfortable situation is very brave.
Both of these essays were very detailed and interesting. It was satisfying to indulge in a political perspective and a first person perspective. I admired Updike's essay more than Sontag's because it was very easy to relate my emotions to this terrible tragedy. Both had overlapping key points such as freedom of choice and the aftermath. After reading these essays, I have learned that there are many different viewpoints to look at and that I can still learn more about an event that occurred 11 years ago.
Sunday, June 30, 2013
About Me
Greetings fellow bloggers! My name is Nick Bultman and I'm going to be a senior next year at McFarland High School. I enjoy numerous outside activities such as soccer, football, and tennis. I like to think of myself as an interesting and enjoyable person outside of school, and a hard-working and determined student in the classroom. I plan on attending college majoring in science and/or business.
My family is very small, and I'm an only child. My parents have been very supportive with every choice that I've made, and that's made me the person I am today. Both of my parents are state employees so they are greatly involved in politics. On the other hand, I despise politics. I find it very dull to sit and watch someone talk for hours about how they are going to stimulate the economy and create more jobs only to find out that we could suffer a depression if their plans aren't taken into account.
My senior year brings a great deal of challenges. I'm taking a lot of advanced classes that most wouldn't do. I've already taken AP Physics and it was a bizarre ride; however, it was very satisfying to say that I completed that class and succeeded. This is what drove me to take more of these classes my last year in high school. All of this will prepare me for college and the real world.
I'm an avid soccer player year round. During the fall it's high school soccer. This is my favorite time to play soccer because I get to kick the ball around with all of my friends that I've known since I was young. Also, this will be my fourth year on the varsity squad. Once winter arrives, that's when I begin training for the spring season through indoor soccer and long hours of running. I'm not fond of winter due to the fact that exercising outside is torture on the body, and that most of my high school teammates have begun their winter sports and hobbies. After what seems like an endless winter, spring finally emerges and soccer continues more difficult than ever. I participate in club soccer at this time and this is by far the most difficult time, but it is the most rewarding time as well because I learn how to master the basics that I will be able to use in the high school season.
UW Madison is my first choice for a college that I would like to attend. It has all of the aspects of a beautiful college. From the towering buildings overhead to the calming lake, this college possesses all of the magnificent qualities that I look for in a college. This university also contains amazing business and science programs. I am currently doing an internship at the university in the field of microbiology. I'm working with a specific group of fungi named Aspergillus Fumigatus. It is very specific research and it's very interesting to work in a real lab and get hands on lab work.
This is a short summary of me and I hope you didn't find it too boring. I'm very excited to be working with each and every one of you this year. Many people say that AP Composition was a very rewarding experience and I hope to feel the same way after taking this class.
My family is very small, and I'm an only child. My parents have been very supportive with every choice that I've made, and that's made me the person I am today. Both of my parents are state employees so they are greatly involved in politics. On the other hand, I despise politics. I find it very dull to sit and watch someone talk for hours about how they are going to stimulate the economy and create more jobs only to find out that we could suffer a depression if their plans aren't taken into account.
My senior year brings a great deal of challenges. I'm taking a lot of advanced classes that most wouldn't do. I've already taken AP Physics and it was a bizarre ride; however, it was very satisfying to say that I completed that class and succeeded. This is what drove me to take more of these classes my last year in high school. All of this will prepare me for college and the real world.
I'm an avid soccer player year round. During the fall it's high school soccer. This is my favorite time to play soccer because I get to kick the ball around with all of my friends that I've known since I was young. Also, this will be my fourth year on the varsity squad. Once winter arrives, that's when I begin training for the spring season through indoor soccer and long hours of running. I'm not fond of winter due to the fact that exercising outside is torture on the body, and that most of my high school teammates have begun their winter sports and hobbies. After what seems like an endless winter, spring finally emerges and soccer continues more difficult than ever. I participate in club soccer at this time and this is by far the most difficult time, but it is the most rewarding time as well because I learn how to master the basics that I will be able to use in the high school season.
UW Madison is my first choice for a college that I would like to attend. It has all of the aspects of a beautiful college. From the towering buildings overhead to the calming lake, this college possesses all of the magnificent qualities that I look for in a college. This university also contains amazing business and science programs. I am currently doing an internship at the university in the field of microbiology. I'm working with a specific group of fungi named Aspergillus Fumigatus. It is very specific research and it's very interesting to work in a real lab and get hands on lab work.
This is a short summary of me and I hope you didn't find it too boring. I'm very excited to be working with each and every one of you this year. Many people say that AP Composition was a very rewarding experience and I hope to feel the same way after taking this class.
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