Short Stories, with Big meanings.

The short stories were very interesting as well as entertaining. They each were different, telling of different situations they had been in the past. Either way they described there working class experiences and how they coped with it.
A great story, "The Catholic Leg", did a great job of conveying what it meant to live on the edge. The family consisted of a mother and father as well as ten children. Unless rich, this situation creates a hard living for any family and an especially harder living for a working class family. The father had a job, but it of course wasn't enough to support the family. With this life style, the family would never be able to travel, take vacations, have disposable income, buy important material goods, etc. Essentially, they were living on the edge, one false move and everything could have been lost. Yet, the mother had the gift of God apparently, in terms of writing jingles. These jingles led to the winning of contests thus money and other goods. For example, when the family hadn't paid the bills for the house, they were going to be foreclosed, yet the mother won a contest in time to pay the bills and keep the house... almost as if it never was a problem. Amongst money, the mother also won washer/dryer machines, trips around the country and Europe, and other things. Not only did the winning of contests keep this family of ten from extreme poverty, it gave them social and cultural capital. For example, the mother and father were able to travel and go on vacations, learning about different peoples and cultures. Basically, this family was extremely lucky, for without the contests, they would definitely slip beneath the cracks, tumble off the edge, what have you not. Instead of suffering, these ten children were able to grow up in a family setting, making life more enjoyable and worth it.

The other short story I liked was "The Poet and the Pauper." Instead of going along with the typical trend of poetry, the aspiring/in time successful poet wrote about her childhood experiences of being poor. She wanted to write about her experiences but also the experience of poor in general, representing all poor. She wanted to get her point across to the people that were fortunate enough to not experience poverty/poorness. She was told she had a beautiful pen, yet her content was not what the people were looking for. Nobody wanted to read about poor people and what they experience...instead they would rather read about trees (blehh). However through determination the poet was able to get published, thus being able to reach people through her writing. Instead of giving up, the poet tried harder. She never forgot her roots, which in the end was her inspiration. She felt no shame in explaining her tough life and how she was able to overcome-yet not forget it. Speaking at colleges, going on tours, getting her works published were all ways of her trying the explain the reality of being poor, the fact that it is a concept which should not be overlooked by trees.

These stories were inspirational as well as informing, in terms of how people needed to live in order to get by.

Diary II

Dear Diary...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QeHsl_owrAk

This song "Factory", by Bruce Springsteen speaks perfectly about the working man. It certainly parallels the Michael Moore/ Roger Moore (one of the best James Bonds of all time) "Roger and Me." Yes, the Bruce Song that Moore chose to actually be in the film "My Home Town" is more of a perfect fit, for the song describes the closing down of shops, big stores, and factories that once thrived in New Jersey. However, the Factory is a specifically designed song for a specifically designed purpose, to portray the factory life of a "working...a working... JUST a working man." Also, going along with the robotic theme, that Bruce displays, he very well could have been afraid of becoming the working man as well, class reproduction. Not caring about school, not even being eligible to go to Vietnam (due to not passing the physical), Bruce very well could have been the next of many working men in New Jersey. Like father...like son is an extremely robotic sequence, luckily Bruce's music rescued him from this situation.

The song portrays a robotic sense of life that Bruce witnessed his own father living/as well as others while working at a factory. He would wake up every morning, go to work, wait for the whistle, the gate opens, and the work begins. Once the whistle finally went off again it was time to go home, only to repeat this process everyday throughout the work week. There are intense lyrics in this short song. One being "factory takes his hearing, but he understands, he's a working, a working, just a working man." Obviously, we observe that at this factory people were losing there hearing. However this could just be a piece of what else they lost, physically. Working in a factory is a very dangerous job, due to the loud noise, heavy machinery, and of course perhaps peoples inexperience. None the less Bruce did a great job portraying a certain aspect of factory torture... that just comes with the territory.

The most powerful however "end of the day, factory whistle cries, Men walk through these gates with death in their eyes. And you just better believe, boy, somebody's gonna get hurt tonight." I interpret this as the factory men going home then strait to the bar... or perhaps just going strait to the bar. They hate their job and perhaps what the job has done to their life and now drinking their sorrows away is the best option. Thus, continuing the robotic sense of life. Another way to interpret it is simply somebody being laid off. The "hurt" meaning perhaps a worker just got fired/laid off and is now jobless? With these two lyrics I chose to expand upon comes the beauty of poetry, in the way that they can be interpreted anyway possible. There is no true correct interpretation and meaning. Bruce may have his meaning for the song, but I very well could interpret the song my own way and create my own meaning.


I am a fan of Bruce Springsteen (and the E Street Band). He writes a great number of songs about life in America, throughout the 60's, 70's, 80's and so forth. He always sings with a voice of the people in mind (no matter how rich he may be... we know your rich Bruce give up the act...joke). Yet, it's for these reasons that makes his songs so bone chilling, true, and very much relatable. I know for myself, I can relate to this song in a different context of a factory however. My father is" JUST a working man" and I hate seeing him live that life. With that being said-it is why he sent me to a good high school and then off to college, so I could hopefully dodge that way of life... which I plan on doing. 


If anyone would like a referral to other great Bruce Songs describing this way of life please let me know. I love discussing music and I love discussing song meanings and how they relate to life in general. Bruce Springsteen is one of the best about portraying lower and middle class America. He lived through it at one point in his life... and still finds it necessary and important to continue relating to this way of life. 

The Evolution of Wall Street

Throughout the past spring and summer I kept watching, anxiously, as countries in Northern Africa, as well as others, began to rebel against the government. Granted the protests and eventual riots were acted out due the type of government in place of that particular country. Either way, I was in awe and in defense of these protestors. I believed in what they were doing and still do. I remember thinking though if I would ever be involved in protests or riots amongst other things. I wondered if I would ever have to protest here in  the United States against the massively large government that I ever so disagree with. I wondered if I would ever be able to protest against the unequal/unfair economy that this country has to offer. Well a few months later I was one of the people walking through the streets of Providence, marching up the State House steps, and voicing my true opinion about this countries major issues.

Occupy Wall Street started off small but grew into something very special. Perhaps the best part about this is the fact that it is still growing. More and more protestors began to gather at Wall Street, creating a more bigger solid force of individuals whom all believed in one thing... Greed is Bad... the exact opposite of the line, made famous by Michael Douglas in the movie Wall Street "Greed is Good." Either way Occupy Wall Street is no joke, rather a snow ball effect. It seems as if since the incident on the Brooklyn Bridge, people have finally become aware of the protests. from this point on people all over began to respond to the protests.
Social medians such as facebook, twitter, etc have served as an excellent way of spreading the word of Occupy wall Street. People have responded through writing about it on there facebook, protesting in there closest cities, as well as traveling to New York to protest.  The use of technology has helped this protest in so many ways. For example, there are certain parts of Zuccottii park that are designed by the protestors that have computers, cell phones, and other forms of technology that are devoted to streaming footage captured-not from the media- but from the protestors themselves. This then gives another perspective of the story. For example,  I saw police men, literally punching protestors, spraying women and men in the eyes with maize, a police officer kneeling on a protestors throat, a man being dragged away by his feet, leaving a trail of blood behind him, as well as much more. Its this footage that captures the other side of the protest-granted violence is wrong either way- but it shows how they were/are being treated by the police force, and this is very much indisputable.
Another topic of Occupy Wall Street that has been present in the media is how organized the protest is. Some protests have leaders or don't have leaders, yet either way end up disgruntled and barely planned. However occupy wall street-with its communal leadership- is still alive and well due to its organization. For example, there are sleeping bags, and tent donations everyday. These are divided amongst the people whom need them in order to live and stay well enough to protest. There is also a communal food bank. People arrive with food for the bank. The food is distributed throughout the camp, making sure everyone is fed. There are plenty of meanings pertaining to each protest, but also meetings in general. Perhaps dealing with non-violence and other things. This organization has spread throughout the nation to other protests and was definitely visible in the Providence Protest.
To such a massive protest that has spread throughout the country (and now world), there is of course an exact opposite perspective. Naturally people like Bill O'Reilly have these opposite perspectives. We, the protestors, are lazy, stinky, not smart, not determined, etc. and these are all reasons as to why we don't have jobs. Obviously this is the most hard headed, dim witted perspective a person could have on such a subject. With this being said, I don't understand how people can still think like this. So many people in the media, that I've watch these past few weeks have stated the same things along the lines listed above. With all these statistics and facts that exist today about the economy and the unequal distribution of wealth how can one blame it on us for not being determined? ... either way, Billy O and other people like him are wrong. Yes there are uneducated people in the protests but there are also a lot of educated people...higher education. Am I lazy, stinky, not determined, and a problem then? No. What these people need to realize is that many of the educated are protesting too. We are protesting because it is wrong, what is happening to the country, but also because we fall into the 99%. Just because we very well could get a job (whether it is high paying or not is another topic for discussion), this does not count us out of the 99%. A lot of the anti-wall street people believe it is our fault we are jobless-yet is it our fault if we have jobs, but they do not pay enough to support us?
The best part about following the news of Occupy Wall Street was watching it spread all over the nation. There was an Occupy Boston, Austin, Providence, Atlanta, Buffalo, Chicago, and more. These have all served to be affective and show that this is a movement spreading all over the country. This spread then led to websites such as "we are the 99%" as well as rebuttal websites "we are the 53%" and "we are the 1%." One of the best things I saw on the news was how there was an Occupy London as well as other protests held in China, Greece, and Italy. This is all an extension from the Arab Spring, to the Occupy Wall Street, to just boiling points of each countries citizens. Either way, this went from a national movement to a world-wide movement and that will always be significant.

People doubt that anything will come of these protests. They will simply whither away and die. Well, I hope the exact opposite and I feel as if this is very much a snowball affect. People just have to believe. Either way, if it dies or moves on and becomes stronger I plan on saying proudly I attended Occupy Providence. I was there, marching through the streets looking at the financial buildings, walking on the Providence Mall side, distracting people from eating, I was there chanting on the steps of the state house for equality. I plan on telling my children that during this protest I felt a stronger presence of my opinion than I ever had through voting. I protested because this is something I am passionate about. I can not come up with all these different economic ways of fixing this or doing that, simply because I hate numbers, math, and anything else that comes with it. But I am still dedicated to protesting and fixing this current economy. I am not saying there shouldn't be rich people, there sure as hell should be. But the difference between rich and poor should be way less, thats a given. I am not saying I want a check at the end of every month from the rich... I don't need there money directly. I am saying there money (through plausible, valid taxation of the rich) could trickle down into the systems, such as banking, business, road works, school systems, agricultural areas, parks and rec., etc. This money will be experienced indirectly by the 99% thus in time canceling that obscene percentage as a whole!

Either way, I am proud to say my generation is on the move and I am apart of it. I feel my voice is being heard, I feel a change coming on, no matter the time it takes, there will be a change.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-15326561    Italy
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-15324901                     England
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UILvHyvCkAg     Bill O'Reilly knckin' the protest...not the video I was hoping to fine but the Turkish TV  does a good job commenting on Bill and his problems
http://dealbook.nytimes.com/2011/10/13/wall-street-protests-cross-the-pond/?ref=occupywallstreet England again
http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/09/28/police-department-to-examine-pepper-spray-incident/?ref=occupywallstreet    abuse of protestors
http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/10/01/occupying-and-now-publishing-too/?ref=occupywallstreet   Organization of Protestors as well as the strength of Community
http://the53.tumblr.com/   "We are the 53%"
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-15320416    spread across the world
http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/10/11/abundant-menu-at-occupy-wall-street/?scp=10&sq=occupy%20wall%20street&st=cse   food for protestors

Diary

Dear Diary...

I thought this was a well conducted interview.http://abcnews.go.com/US/video/occupy-wall-street-fordham-professor-explains-movement-14676529

The man in the interview is a teacher at Fordham University, in the Bronx. I actually have heard of him before because my friend goes to Fordham and apparently the teacher is sponsoring my friends research, so he is a chill guy too!

But I really appreciated his narrative of the wall street protests. When he stated how this isn't exactly a hippy movement rather educated individuals (whom fall into my generation), it made me think of Egypt. The huge riots and protests that had just taken place in Egypt was very much an educated movement as well. Many of the students were protesting for a less corrupt government (not what we are aiming for), but also protesting for a stronger economy that will support the college graduates and solidify them getting a job. Here in America we are protesting for a more equal economy, in terms of distribution of wealth. I am proud to witness this happening and am also proud to say that this is my generation sparking the torch. I also hope to get involved in the protests. I was not able to today (Occupy Providence), due to being overwhelmed with school work and such. However I am really passionate about this protest, because it is a true, valid protest. The people protesting aren't uneducated stink hippies (not that there is a problem with it), but seeing how the people are young, educated, and the future of America it gives a more complete feeling to the protests. It's tough to describe... basically instead of arguing on just morals, which it seems hippies do (which again, there is nothing wrong with that), the protestors are arguing with facts and statistics on our side. I hope this will culminate into something bigger and will lead to the change that this nation needs... I just felt it necessary to write about how "we" the future of tomorrow, the educated, are leading the way for a more promising future for America. We are not only thinking of ourselves but for the other 99 percent as well. I believe this being an educated protest will make it more successful, hopefully.

Education, or the lack of...

These past readings were by far some of the best. They dealt with the importance of the educational system and how that ties into the class system in the United States. An impressive article was the Anyon article in the fact about how be displayed a hierarchy in the school structure as well. Students from a working class background were taught working class things. "A working class job is characterized by work that is routine and mechanical and that is a small, fragmented process with which workers are not usually acquainted." With this being her description of working class jobs it paralleled her description of the working class school structure. Essentially, students were told how to do division, they were not taught. So, just like the worker in the assembly line who puts together a small certain piece of machinery, which is ultimately part of a bigger picture, the student whom is told how to divide is missing the bigger picture. The student doesn't know why dividing is important, what its used for, the different terms, basically, they just don't see the big picture. At such a young age, students should be lured into critical, analytical, and rhetorical thinking. They cannot just "listen" to the teacher, interpret it as truth and not go any further into the subject. Reading about how neglectful these teachers were when compared to the "Affluent" schools was simply sad. At such a young age children are already being molded into working class robots- due to not being introduced to individuality, freedom, critical, analytical, and rhetorical thinking, these students are already a step behind the middle class school and above students.

Teachers need to perform better. If students are being neglected and are being trained to operate within the social background that they are currently in, then there is no room for class mobility, which relays to the fact that the gap between rich and poor does not shrink. The lack of a strong education leads to a lack of social and cultural capital, and most likely a lack of economic capital. A way of fixing this is to start at the administration. To simply put it, there are many people whom are teaching that don't belong teaching at all. THis is by part the teachers fault, but mostly the person that hired them. The administration all the way up to the superintendent needs to do a better job constructing its school particular education system/guidelines, and needs to make sure teachers abide by those guidelines. Now, I am not saying all students need to have creative writing time- and freedom throughout the classroom, etc.-but students need to at least be taught how to think and ask questions, which they will soon realize is another way to learn.

On a more bigger level-than the immediate administration- I believe this countries education system is horrid. More money should be invested into the education system because by doing so, money is being invested into the future of America. People put a lot of time and effort and of course money, into raising and training a racing horse. The success of that horse on race day is a reflection of the amount of money that was spent on it throughout its years of training (along with other technicalities in the sport). More money should be invested into the school system/the students, so on "race day" we are successful. That race day being when statistics are drawn up, there is an increase of children graduating from inner city schools, due to the fact that more money was put into that school from the federal government. "Federal aid to elementary and secondary education was $41 billion in 2003, a paltry 2% of the entire federal budget (Engel)." More money needs to be spent on education. We see these statistics of other countries passing us on mathematics, sciences, and children graduating in general and we complain about them. Well, in order to stop the complaining this country needs to get a better grip on the education system.

School can be the difference between a working class student remaining working class for all his or her life or moving up a step in class-thus having more than what he or she was born into.