Tarek's Blog

1. Why are the boys so upset at the idea of the girls carrying the water bucket?

The boys are upset since Miss Ralston has been giving them permission to carry the water bucket for the longest time, not the girls.

2. What strategies do the boys use to pressure the girls to give in? How do the girls react?

The boys use strategies such as bullying Alma, the girls fought back and didn’t allow this to happen.

3. Who is telling the story? What does she think of Ms. Ralston and the conflict over the water? From what point of view is the story told?

The point of view comes from a first-person perspective, most likely the girls are the narrators. They think of the conflict that the girls should have a chance to carry the water bucket too.

4. What is the setting (provide evidence). How does the setting intensify the conflict? What kind of conflict is it? (Person vs. person – person vs. self – person vs. society) Provide evidence for each conflict.

The setting is in a rural town basing that the school they would attend was a one schoolroom house which was popular back in the 1950s. The setting intensifies the conflict since it was so long ago many women weren’t allowed to do the things they wanted to. The type of conflict that is introduced into the story is Person vs. Society. An example of this is Alma asking Miss Ralston something society wouldn’t accept.

5. Who is the protagonist? How do you know?

The protagonist is Alma and I know this since she’s the one who started the conflict (which is positive) between Miss Ralston and the boys for allowing the girls to carry the water.

6. In what way has everything changed on that Friday? What is the significance of Ms. Ralston’s action in the last paragraph? What is the message (theme) the author is exploring?

Things changed on that Friday since it’s a representation of women’s rights and allowing women to do the same things that men can do. It’s all about equality, and Ms. Ralston made the right choice.

Tarek Diabmarzouk

September 30th, 2021

Australia, U.K. Rank Last on Global Gender Pay Gap Reporting

What is this article about?

My chosen article is on the gender pay gap in Australia. In Australia, the pay gap between men and women is 14.9 percent. Australia was one of the first governments to approve gender equality legislation, yet there was no dramatic change. In fact, in Australia, women must labour an additional 61 days to earn what males do. To summarise, this short paragraph is not only about the gender pay gap in Australia, but also a cry for society to wake up and understand that just because it’s 2021 doesn’t imply nothing has changed in the previous 30 years.

Who does it involve?

This article involves Australia and its ridiculous gender pay gap. Not only does it involve that, but it also involves the inequality that women face in Australia. It involves both men and women, and that that the fact males are still considered superior to women. How would you feel if you worked the same job as a guy but were paid 14.9 percent less? It includes human rights, women’s rights, fundamental human rights, international law, and far more than I can say. It involves a large number of individuals, but what counts is equality for women who are not treated the same as males around the world.

Why did you choose this article?

I picked this article since it grabbed my interest. I was reading about gender inequality in education, and in the Middle East, but this article reminded me of something I’d hear about my entire life. I’ve always heard that women make less money than men and that males make more money, therefore men should go to work and women should stay at home, which is really stereotypical and sexist. Since that isn’t always the case, but I’m sure I heard it a lot growing up in a Middle Eastern family. So, in general, I chose this article since it was always a hot issue about which I want to understand more.

How does this news article relate to the story we are reading- The Friday Everything Changed?

The comparison of both having a sexist history in this news article relates to the novel The Friday Everything Changed. The teacher in the novel wouldn’t let the girls carry the water bucket because they were girls, and the same thing happens in real life. Because they are women, women are not paid equally to men. It’s crazy that people still believe that just because she’s a woman, she’s incapable of performing tasks that a male can.

Tarek Diabmarzouk

October 3rd, 2021