The Other Side of The River, by Alex Kotlowitz, is a story about a young black boy, Eric McGinnis, who was found dead near the river. Throughout the novel, the reader is given the chance to analyze the different perspective of social audiences on how Eric McGinnis died. We see the views of the citizens of both sides of the river, formal and informal audiences. The river, which splits the two cities, Benton Harbor and St. Joseph, symbolizes for the union that is forced upon two cities, regardless of the different social status, race, and poverty they may have.…
The passengers aboard the RMS Titanic were about 2,223 people who sailed on the maiden voyage. They sailed from Southampton to New York City. With many great deaths that occurred on this “unsinkable ship”, many authors used this event as a background for a great story, but were the details of the event accurately portrayed? When writing Dangerous Waters, it is clear that Gregory Mone did his research and showed the event accurately. The book Dangerous Waters by Gregory Mone was a heart pounding book.…
Plain City is a realistic book written by Virginia Hamilton. Some characters in this book are Buhlaire Sims, Bluezy, Uncle Sam, Grady, and Theodore Junior Sims. Buhlaire is a 12 year old girl who grew up not knowing she had a father. She was different from every other kid because she had rasta hair and a carrot-honey face. Her family told her that her father died in Vietnam but she finds out the truth.…
In Norman Maclean’s A River Runs Through It, Norman seemingly does his best to help Paul escape a cycle of alcoholism and risky behavior. Norman continues to take Paul fishing in the hopes that Paul will change, yet in his heart, Norman believes “[he] could not help him” (Maclean, 6). This passage calls into question Norman’s method to getting through to Paul. In fear of overstepping his boundaries, Norman is never able to have a meaningful conversation with his brother in order to truly understand him. Instead, he is forced to make assumptions on what Paul wants; therefore, Norman assumes that fly-fishing is what Paul needs for his life to change.…
In 2011 my family and I took a trip out West in an RV. My family consists of my parents, older brother Patrick ( now a sophomore at Madison), younger brother Declan ( now a sophomore at MUHS), and my younger sister Nora ( now in 8th grade). We were all there for this trip just younger. On our trip one of the main attractions we stopped at for a few days was at the Grand Teton National Park in Jackson Hole Wyoming. The Tetons are a mountain range of the Rocky Mountains in Wyoming.…
When individuals are caught up in the past, it is hard for them to move forward. Often these individuals struggle with their emotion and try to avoid the problem instead of tackling it and moving forward. It is usually when these individuals aren’t ready to move on, that they find different ways to cope their struggle, such as turning to drugs and avoiding their loved ones. However this way of avoidance coping keeps them chained to their past, unable to break from it and come to a resolution. It takes time for that individual to be able to face their problem and find ways to grow from it, but when they do, they are finally able to break from the past.…
At The River I Stand This documentary takes us back to a time 100 years after slavery where the descendants were consigned to the bottom of the economic ladder. Yet, Memphis was spared the upheaval of Little Rock, Selma and Birmingham because of modest gains of access to movies, libraries and lunch counters. Nevertheless, the seething volcano was building up pressure in the public works department of Memphis. Complaints concerning malfunctioning equipment had been an ongoing cause.…
In her book Living Downstream, Sandra Steingraber blends her narrative writing style with scientific research and data to provide an accessible account of the cancer epidemic in the United States and its link to the environment. It is Steingraber’s belief that it is essential for human beings to not only question, but also understand how a lifetime of incremental exposures to chemicals like DDT, PCBs, and atrazine increase an individual’s risks of developing cancer at some point in their life. Throughout the course of the book Steingraber balances her personal experience growing up in rural Tazwell County Illinois, her diagnosis with bladder cancer in her early twenties, and how her environmental exposure to certain industrial and agricultural…
The year is 1968, and the Vietnam War is already 14 years underway. There is not a volunteer army, so the Selective Service System sends out a draft notice to all eligible males between the ages of 18 and 26. There were many ways to get out of the draft like having a disability, having a health condition, being a conscientious objector, being a student or choosing to flee to Canada. What would the feelings be of a young man with a bright future who just received a notice? This is what the author Tim O’Brien went through in his autobiographical short story “On the Rainy River”.…
The very first instance of people in the area of the Los Angeles River were the Tongva Native Americans. Evidence suggests that they may have arrived as early as 5000 B.C.. At this time there was an abundance of both vegetation and wildlife surrounding the river ranging from berry bushes to bears. Hundreds of years later the city began to grow when Europeans settled the area in the middle of the 19th century. At this point the river was tame for most of the year but during the winter the river would flood frequently.…
Into the Wild Into the Wild is a book about a man named Alex, Chris was his name before then he changed it. It is a biography of him, and it tells about what Alex has written in his journal during his adventures. This book talks about his life and all the troubles he gets through, up until he dies. Alex is a traveler that travels throughout everywhere. He is a hitchhiker and does not need material things or money.…
In River Town: Two Years on the Yangtze Peter Hessler chronicles his two-year stay in the Chinese city of Fuling, Sichuan province, as a Peace Corps volunteer, from 1996 to 1998. Fuling has stood on the banks of the Yangtze River for thousands of years, surrounded by mountains, in the center of Sichuan province. Hessler’s arrival in this place of continuity, however, coincides with a period of dramatic change. The construction of the Three Gorges Dam will flood parts of the city and drastically change life in Sichuan. While working as a teacher of English literature at Fuling Teachers College, Hessler witnesses how a group of students raised on the dogma of the Chinese Communist Party reacts to his American style of teaching and interprets Western classics such as Beowulf and the plays of William Shakespeare.…
The conclusion of Nick’s development is shown in both parts of the short story, "The Big Two-Hearted River". These stories show the end result of Nick’s growth, but also show that he is still growing and trying to change into a better person. Nick chose to go camping and fishing to get his mind off the war and his life, but to also reflect on all the opportunities he’s given, the people he met, and the things he learned. Some of these include, Bugs, who had shown him to how to clean up his plate with bread, and Hopkins, who had told him how to make good coffee during the war. However, Nick made this coffee wrong, which shows that he still has learning to do (Hemingway 140-142).…
As the powerful Colorado River churned beneath me, as it has for centuries, and the relentless sun peaked over the top of the North Rim, I could not help but feel astounded. I was in a timeless place: a place disconnected from the society I had left behind miles ago. Down here, in the lowest section of the Grand Canyon, it was just me, my friends, and the heat. Always the heat. We had started our journey, a run from the Grand Canyon’s North Rim to the South Rim, at 4 AM in a futile attempt to avoid the skyrocketing temperature and finish before the sun became the determining factor in the success of our venture.…
When reflecting on the goal for the Alligator River Story, I have realized that I have become more aware of the issues that can challenge my thinking in a conflict/negotiation. This goal has been recognized when considering my stance when it comes to the topic of if a name influences judgement. I am torn between agreeing and disagreeing that a name can influence judgement. I am undecided due to the fact that I believe that personal associations can have a positive or negative influence of a name.…