Most Proud Composition

Holly Ryan

Deeper Then Our Redskin

Stereotypes are an oversimplified conception, opinion, or image that is held in common by members of a group. These ignominious mental images have existed in our society since the early 1800’s. At this time the most common stereotypes were inflicted upon Native Americans, who were generalized as savages, liars, boring, and even immoral. In the short story, “What You Pawn I Will Redeem,” the main character, Jackson Jackson, persuades the audience to believe that he is just another stereotypical Indian, when in reality his sociable and reliable personality is inimitable, and contradicts his argument. He bases this argument on the way he has always been portrayed by prominent races such as whites, less than human.

Jackson convinces the readers he is a stereotype by repetitively generalizing himself to all Indians throughout the text, in a sarcastic tone. For example, Jackson says “Homeless Indians are everywhere in Seattle. We’re common and boring, and you walk right on by us, with maybe a look of anger or disgust or even sadness at the terrible fate of the noble savage.” (1) In this quote Jackson uses multiple degrading generalizations to describe all homeless Indians, including himself, as common and boring. This is a simplification because he is saying himself and every other homeless Indian are ordinary and uninteresting, when he is truly fun and intriguing through his friendliness. He is a friend to not only other homeless Indians, but also restaurant and convenience store managers, who grant him the rare privilege of using their clean, “employee’s” restroom. Overall, Jackson classifies himself as something he is not, because that is how white people have always viewed him.

According to Jackson Jackson’s best friend, Rose of Sharon, he is “the most honest Indian,” but Jackson oversimplifies himself once again to be something he is not, a liar. He does so when he says, “we Indians are great storytellers and liars and mythmakers.” (1) In this quote he once again refers to himself as a group of Indians, while also classifying both Indians and himself as liars. This is a common stereotype white men inflicted upon Native Americans, and Jackson was aware of this. He tries to generalize himself into the mold society built, but in actuality he himself is an individual. He makes a sarcastic point to the audience by portraying himself as just another Indian, and that point is that stereotypes are false accusations if you look passed someone’s exterior image.

Classifying Jackson as either a stereotype or not is extraordinarily complex because he shows qualities that do not fit into the generalization he persuades of boring, and a liar. Such qualities are that he is extremely fun, outgoing, and honest. Even though Jackson tries to portray himself as a stereotypical Indian in order to make a point to the white audience, he is really his own person, with unique qualities that make up himself.

Historical Analysis Essay

Holly Ryan

Her Personal Battles

Slavery dehumanizes everyone it surrounds, as learned from prior texts, and can corrupt a person forever. Slaves especially are made less than human from the agonizing hostilities of slavery. They share the same hardships with each other, but also face such brutality on their own. Each slave, just like every person, has their own story and challenges to overcome, some more than others. Mary Reynolds was a slave that encountered these hostilities of slavery, and her story increase my awareness on this disgusting time period. The slave narrative of Mary Reynolds expanded my understanding of slavery by describing her personal struggles and the cruelties of slavery that affected her, while also providing evidence of such harsh times.

My previous awareness of slavery was expanded through Mary Reynolds’s personal struggles with endurance. During the bitterest cold winters, “when the frost was on the bolls” as she said, Mary hated picking cotton. Her hands were so cold they began to crack open and bleed, a personal struggle that she described with great detail. Her explanation expanded my understanding of slavery because it was personal to her slavery experience, making it more powerful and realistic. Also, it used more specific evidence to show how she overcame her crusade. In the Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American slave, written by Himself, Frederick Douglass briefed on the idea that work was torturous during the ice-cold winters, but never provided specific examples or struggles he personally had. While on the other hand, Mary Reynolds exhibits an image of how she suffered in the freezing weather.

Mary Reynolds expands my awareness of slavery by describing the cruelties that were unique to her. She does so when explaining her wardrobe, all she wore was a long collared shirt that went down to her knees, with an unsuitable pair of shoes. “Shoes was the worstes' trouble… they'd never git them to fit. Once when I was a young gal, they got me a new pair and all brass studs in the toes. They was too li'l for me, but I had to wear them. The trimmin's cut into my ankles and them places got mis'ble bad.” No one cared that every step she took, her wounds would expand greater and greater. Slavery consisted of multiple outrageous acts of cruelty like this, but because this inhumanity was so personal to her, I can now fully understand how devastating slavery truly was.

Mary Reynolds’s entire body is cover with battle wounds from the harsh crusades of slavery, forcing me to honestly believe the hardships slaves had to overcome; the hardships of beatings everyday, of working with shoes two sizes too small, and of frozen hands. Every personal encounter Mary had with slavery left a scar, whether it was on her back, her hands, or her feet. She claims, “The scars are there to this day”, from wearing those uncomfortable shoes, and from the whippings on her back, “They was things past tellin', but I got the scars on my old body to show to this day.” Evidence that proves the struggles and cruelties of slavery are real and scar a slave for the rest of their life, not only physically but also emotionally.

The Land of Red Apples Poem

"My Uncomfortable Surroundings"


Their glassy blue eyes upon us,
Staring.

Fair women stopped their haste,
scrutinizing.

Large men halted nearby,
watching,
I resented being watched.

Bold, white faces pointed.

I was embarrassed,
sinking deep into my seat, eyes downcast,
constantly on the verge of tears.

We were disturbed and troubled,
us bronzed children.

Fear made my body tremble,
the only safety was up against a wall.

I was not happy,
falling asleep heaving deep, tired sobs.

My tears left to dry themselves,
my mother had never made a plaything out of her wee daughter.

Fatal Border Crossing Essay

Holly Ryan

The Risk of Crossing

More than one illegal immigrant dies each day in attempt to cross the dangerous borders of Mexico to the United States. These migrants died from suffocation in airless trucks, vehicle crashes, downing, and most commonly heatstroke, and dehydration. Crossing the border has become increasingly difficult since 1994, when the Border Patrol launched a policy that would forever change the lives of illegal immigrants. This policy was known as Operation Gatekeeper, which was an effort to put a halt to immigration in the San Diego area, but took a turn for the worst when it expanded to both Arizona and Texas. The death rate of illegal immigrants began to rise rapidly since this operation began, leading up to 2,000 deaths of migrants. The Border Patrol is to blame for these mounting deaths because of Operation Gatekeeper, by enhancing their security, driving migrant traffic to the most severe areas, and in the end even increasing immigration.

The number of Border Patrol agents, surveillance equipment, and physical barriers in the San Diego sector dramatically increased after the launch of Operation Gatekeeper. The rank of Border Patrol agents was nearly doubled nationwide, rising up to 8,200 agents. With an increased budget of 578 million dollars from the United States government, the Border Patrol was granted an alarming amount of power. Taking advantage of this power, these agents would arrest or even kill anyone who tried to illegally cross the border, most of which were just immigrants searching for a better life. From the time of October 2008 to March 2009, 265,000 people were arrested after attempting to cross the border with no legal documents. These people trying to find freedom and success in the USA were arrested and caught by the overwhelming amount of border patrol agents, driving future immigrants to cross in unsafe areas.

Major cities abundant in migrant traffic, such as San Diego and El Paso, were the main targets of Operation Gatekeeper. Due to this policy, militarization and security were enhanced in these cities, forcing immigrants from the popular suburban migration routes to severe terrain. The only route to entering California that remained was either through the Imperial Desert, or over mountains north of Tecate. These regions were both harsh and desolated areas, making it extremely dangerous for anyone to trek through. Days of traveling in the extreme climates of these areas led to the rising of deaths, being that they had to travel light with few assets, such as water. Whether it was dehydration or suffocation, these immigrants had a higher risk of death when trying to cross over into America. This was all because the Border Patrol focused on strengthening the border in big cities, where trekking conditions were less cruel.

Operation Gatekeeper’s intensions ended up going in the exact opposite direction. The result of this strategy was actually an increase of illegal immigration due the problem of “border buildup,” says a study by the Public Policy Institute of California. After the border’s security was strengthened, it made it take even more time to cross the border, whether or not you had a passport. This caused for a border buildup, which meant that a great amount of people would build up at the border when trying to pass, leading to an increased amount of illegal immigrants crossing over. Operation Gatekeeper actually ended up doing very little to diminishing illegal immigration. In the end this policy that the Border Patrol launched was a failure and took the lives of many.

Operation Gatekeeper was a policy that ended up creating more problems than solutions. Through the attempts of strengthening all the major cities’ borders, the cost of this operation got up to be over two billion dollars a year, and for what? The deaths of illegal immigrants rose dramatically and there are even more attempting to cross the border now. Overall the Border Patrol was to blame for these deaths because of this policy.

IAT Age and Race Tests

IAT Age Test:

The results after taking the Age test surprised me only a bit actually. It gave me the result that I moderately preferred younger people as to older. This statement is both true and false. It's true in the sense that I would prefer someone closer to my age group to be around, and false because i love old people. I think old people are adorable and warm hearted, having so much wisdom to pass on, I would never see them as anything less than a person just because they are old. Sometimes I would prefer younger people just because they can relate to me better and understand situations form this generation. Overall, I was kind of surprised that this test made me feel like I hated old people when I really don't, but I can see how i would prefer young to old.

IAT RACE TEST:

I thought that the results of this test were a little closer than that of the other. I got the result saying I SLIGHTLY prefer white people over African Americans, which I believe is semi true. I wouldn't say that I like white people more, cause I don't, but when it come to hanging out I seem to have more in common with white people over African Americans. I think it's because they share the same culture as me. I like hanging out with African Americans too because the people I talk to and that are around me that are black make me just as happy as the white people do. I just happen to have more white friends because I grew up with being surrounded by white people. Overall, I wasn't super shocked with these result because i can see how I hangout with white people more.

American Icon Project

Artist Statement

Smothering my tiny lips with my mother’s favorite, bright red lipstick was the finishing touch to my role as an old lady. Dressed in a white, floppy hat and a raggedy blanket over my shoulders, I used a long stick for my cane as I limped about the house. I would pretend to be mad about something and begin to complain, while scrunching up my face and waving my finger. My parents sat in the livingroom watching and laughing, and I loved all the attention. Ever since I was a little girl, I used to put on silly acts and performances for my family, close friends, and even my babysitter. After one of my little routines she said “You’re so funny Holly, one day you will become an amazing actress,” and ever since then I have had a great passion for acting. When I was 5 years old, my parents invested in an acting summer class with Junior Theatre,which I continued almost every year until I was 12. I performed in a group show at the end of each session, while also starring in school plays ever year throughout elementary and middle school. After a couple years of doing play after play I realized that I was unfortunately not the most talented actress. In fact, no matter how much I loved it, I was not impressive at all. This has not changed my love for the hobby however; but it has put it on a stand-by for a few years due to the lack of inspiration.

Just recently I found an inspiration that persuaded me to chase my love for acting, and that was the motivating icon, Audrey Hepburn. Researching about her childhood and how she got to be as famous as she is today made me realize that she too had some struggles to reach her goal; yet she did not succeed by giving up on what she loved. Audrey Hepburn’s passion was ballet and dance ever since she was a little girl, and Audrey was constantly attending multiple classes to achieve that dream just like me. She first started when she was about the same age I was, but her childhood craze was soon interrupted for some time during World War II. Just a few years later after the war had finished, she started dancing yet again, but this time in more serious and well-known performances. Her dedication made me realize that no matter what happens, you should never give up on your dream. Soon I hope to start taking more acting classes and hopefully even get an internship at Junior Theatre, in desire that I too will reach my dream.

I am inspired by not only Audrey Hepburn’s perseverance and accomplishments, but also by her amazing lead roles and fashion trends. Her most famous and inspirational role in my eyes was 1961’s Holly Golightly from the popular film, Breakfast at Tiffany’s. This movie demonstrates her iconic role for aspiring actresses everywhere, like myself. Her fashion trends also influenced me a great deal, with her extremely tall and slender body, she fashioned a new attractive body type. Today, girls around the world, including myself, thrive to be tall and skinny, just like Audrey Hepburn. I would love to have her body and even though I don’t agree with it being seen as the only body type in today’s society, I still admire it. Audrey has influenced me to chase my dreams, and never give up. Her success and fame made me want to try just as hard as her, in hope that some day I too will feel accomplished. I admire Audrey Hepburn in everyway and think she is truly an inspirational, American icon.

Reflection:

Researching and writing about the three different American icons, Audrey Hepburn, Marylin Monroe, and Rosie the Riviter, taught me not only about the background of them, but also about why they were icons in my eyes, and everyone else's. For example, at first I thought it would be really cool to do Marylin Monroe, but after researching about her I realized that she did not inspire or relate to me at all. To everyone else she created a new voluptuous body type and stood as a sex symbol, but in my opinion she was not a true American icon. Another main thing I feel i learned about all these icons was if they made themselves iconic characters, or if society did. Rosie the Riveter was needed as a promoter for America at that time, therefore, society made her an icon. While on the other hand, Audrey Hepburn followed her dreams of becoming a dancer and star, thus becoming an icon. Overall, throughout this project I feel I learned the most about exactly what makes an American icon and how they affect our society.

Whether it from my classmates during class, or teachers outside of class, every critique i got changed my artistic statement at least a little bit. When we were doing the critiques in class, I looked everything over and read each comment, seeing what i should fix and what i should keep. This helped me make a better paper, but i still was not satisfied. During my x-block, I asked my ninth grade humanities teacher, Diana, to also critique my paper. She did, and one comment she put was "What if you start off describing one of your costumes or acts?" This one little comment made my paper from okay, to great. I painted a picture with words and felt it intrigued the audience more. Then when I got my last critique from Anne, she said she liked how I made the beginning a description of my acts. She also made a few pointers and suggestions that I took into account and made my rough draft into a final.

Overall on this project, I feel I did the best of my ability. I was resourceful with both taking the picture and writing my artistic statement. I searched and used a few different people's clothing and jewelry, and I used my surrounding classmates and teachers for critiques. Even though the developing made my face look really dark o my picture, I'm still very proud of my work. The artistic statement was the best I could do too, therefore I am extremely happy with my final products for this project.

"You Wouldn't Like Me" by: Teagan & Sara

There's a war inside of me
Do I cause new heartbreak to write
A new broken song?
Do I push it down?
Or let it run me right into the ground?

Oh I, I feel like
I wouldn't like me if I met me

Well I can't stop talking for fear
Of listening to unwelcome sound
And you haven't called me in weeks and
Honestly, it's bringing me down

Oh, I, I feel like I wouldn't like me if I met me
I, I feel like you wouldn't like me if you met me

And don't you worry, there's still time
Don’t you worry, there’s still time

There’s nothing to live for
When I'm sleeping alone
And I wash the windows outside in
Hopes that the glare will bring you around

I, I feel like I wouldn't like me if I met me
I, I feel like you wouldn't like me if you met me

So you don’t you worry there’s still time
Don’t you worry there’s still time
So you don’t you worry there’s still time
Don’t you worry there’s still time
So you don’t you worry there’s still time
Don’t you worry there’s still time

Sunshine is days away
I won't be saved, I know all the words
I can't say that I'll love you forever
Sunshine is days away
I won't be saved, I know all the words
I won't say that I'll love you forever

Song "Dissection"
I think that the lyrics in this song have multiple hidden meanings behind them, some that even describe me. The first five lines in particular really fit me because a lot of the time I have difficulty deciding weather to brush my feelings aside and move on, or to let it bring me down and express my feelings. Other than relating to myself, this song has lyrics that use symbolism and metaphors as well. For example, the line that says "And I wash the windows outside in hopes that the glare will bring you around" means that if she cleans up her act and betters herself on the outside, than the one she loves will notice and come back. The last hidden meaning behind this song is found in the chorus: "I, I feel like I wouldn't like me if I met me". This line is saying that she has pretty low self esteem with herself becasue she is probably not happy with the actions she has done or how she presents herself. It can also mean that she understood why her love left her because she isn't even happy with herself. This song has different meanings that go past the literal meaning and I feel parts of it can even relate to me.