Category Archives: Grade 11

Synthesis Essay Corrections

Stereotypes Shone to Light

Image result for homecoming king

A new country, a new language, and stereotypical racism; a challenge for all immigrants, but for Hasan Minhaj and Alex Dang, they are born in America, and have the right to be treated like an American citizen but they must deal with the stereotypes that they face every day dismissing the fact that they are proud citizens. Minhaj, the author and performer of Homecoming King, a Netflix comedy show, was born in America but always felt discriminated against because of the colour of his skin although he is an American citizen. Alex Dang author of “What Type of Asian Are You?” a spoken word, expresses his feelings about the American pressure to assimilate into American’s culture through his spoken word. Both Minhaj and Dang face various stereotype actions and describe what they feel and how they perceive. Where Homecoming King and “What Type of Asian Are You?” differ is Minhaj feels he is a strong American and questions why he must constantly prove his nationality and patriotism to America, while Dang feels shame of being an immigrant and the pressure to assimilate into American culture. Regardless of the difference between them Minhaj an Indian American and Dang a Chinese American, are proud of who they are and where they come from. They have resiliency against the racism and stereotypes that they face throughout their lives.

Minhaj’s father, who raised Minhaj in America, believes that if you immigrate, there must be a “American dream tax”. That tax is racism. On the other hand, Minhaj was born in America, he is a born citizen. He does not believe that he must pay any racism tax. After 9/11, his family’s car windows were smashed, and items were stolen. Minhaj told the audience about a time of  physical and verbal violence against his family: “’Hey you sand nigger, where’s Osama?’ … I hear ‘thud, thud, thud’ Outside. Me and Dad run outside and all the windows on the Camry are smashed in,” (Storer, 2017). While Minhaj was furious and wanted to find who did this, his father, just cleaned up the street and acted like it was not a problem, only coming to say, “These things happen, and these things will continue to happen”. Which in turn Minhaj realized what difference and generational gap they have. Minhaj has the audacity not to be bigoted against because of the stereotype that he has a Muslim and Indian heritage. But this stereotype followed him. Bethany Reed and her family was not racist against him until the opportunity came to show other people who is going to prom with Bethany. “We have a lot of family back home in Nebraska and we’re going to be taking photos, so we don’t think you’d be a good fit.” ( Storer,2017). This was a devastating moment in Minhaj’s life. Turned away from people who have been friendly to him for as long as he has known them. All because they were afraid of Minhaj because the colour of his skin. That’s when he realizes that people can still be racist even if they were smiling and kind towards him.

Through Alex Dang’s spoken word “What Type of Asian Are You?” he explains the societal pressure from America to assimilate into their culture and the struggle his and his family went through, historically and modern day. In “What Type” he says that by collectively putting him in a stereotypical Asian box. In Dang’s spoken word, he says “Making us assimilate into America we thought was better than our war torn home” (Dang,66,67) This quote explains that there may not be any wars in America, but there is a racial war. People are afraid of other ethnic groups and create stereotypes and are bigoted against immigrants and different ethnic groups. Furthermore, Dang disagreed with the idea of Asian being one nationality. By doing this he says, “Every time you confuse me with some other nationality that I might share similar features to is stripping away my individuality” (Dang,67,68,69). He explains that by putting him in a stereotypical Asian box, then you take away his individuality, his personality and what’s unique about him. Also, Dang feels that American culture and society puts pressure on him to assimilate into their culture. In doing so, making Dang feel ashamed of his heritage. “The envy of blonde hair/and blue eyes”. (Dang,73,74). Dang tells the reader the struggles what his family went through, not being able to speak the language, and the difficulty to adapt to the new country. The stereotypes of his culture hold a weight on Dang. As he mentioned earlier in his poem, he says different types of stereotypes that people assume he is like. This is not the case for Dang. It strips away his identity as a Vietnamese American.

Minhaj and Alex face many challenges when it comes to stereotypes and racism. In their lives, they have been bombarded with stereotypes but still have been able to overcome the obstacle. The stereotypes that Hasan has experienced made him question the reasoning of his American citizenship. This realization led Hasan to feel proud of who is and where he came from. Hasan came to the realization and told the audience: “I care about what she represents. Growing up, we wanted that co-sign. To tell them you’re good enough.” (Storer,2017). This quote illustrates that growing up in America coming from a different ethnic background, other than Caucasians background, has a looming pressure to be accepted by the majority. Although the hard times, Hasan’s life he came to realize he doesn’t need to be accepted because of his skin colour. Alex Dang spoken word consists mainly of an angry and frustrated tone towards the stereotypes he is faced with, but he also explains he is proud of who he is. When he says, “And I still feel the ironwork of my bones/grow stronger with every train of thought that/passes by”. (Dang,86,87,89). A description of his feelings and attitude about how he is above the stereotypes and racism.

In conclusion, Hasan Minhaj’s life story showed the many times he had faced up against stereotypes and racism, and Alex Dang’s spoken word was a relentless poem of no matter how much stereotypes affect him, it can truly never bring him down. Minhaj and Dang had many hardships when it comes to dealing with stereotypes but where able to overcome them and recognize their pride and strength of their own culture while also being proud to be American. Both performers show that the racism that they face has a hefty toll on them, but they show the audience, they will never be broken down to the point of total loss of identity. Minhaj and Dang wonder how long they must continue to fight and as Minhaj said, “But isn’t it our job to push the needle forward little by little?”. (Storer, 2017).

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Two thing that I am proud of are:

That I clearly state what my question is and my thesis.

I have lots of evidence to support my arguement

Two thing i could improve on:

To make my writing less choppy, make it flow better

To integrate my quotes better with a better delivery for the quote

Identity Politics

Joseph Boyden should be able to write because he knows a lot about the indigenous culture, and he is not degrading or dismissing their culture. He praises and tells well written stories about them and their life stories. Now that he is does not have indigenous background, he should not be discredited because of his work for the indigenous community life stories. Through the two chapters that I have read, it shows the detail and the life style of the indigenous people. He is writing a story in a respectful and positive manor, not taking the away or diminishing the indigenous community.

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https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/823411.Three_Day_Road

Narrative Essay Corrections

Help Is Not a Bad Thing

As I wake to the loud rumble of jet skis and boats on the lake I rejoiced that I am here: at my cabin. It is a place my family has built on the lake and undoubtedly my favourite place to go. This year was special.  This was the year I was going to learn how to wake board. I have been water skiing but never liked it very much, so I wanted to wakeboard. I went downstairs and looked out upon the lake.  It seemed as if it was glass, perfect conditions. I smelled the bacon and eggs my Grandma was cooking in the kitchen. Outside, I felt the fresh cool air. It was an amazing break away from the stress of school. I was struggling and saw no point in helping myself in fixing my grades. However, summer was here and none of that mattered. The annoying sound of the loud bell that signals your next class, busy hallways, and scary and stressful tests were now a thing of the past. Now I could enjoy the freedom.

I was very excited to start the day, but also nervous. I had never been on a wakeboard or even quite sure how to get up.  Nevertheless, I ran to tell my dad I was ready to try; he was as excited as I was. I took in the waves, crashing on the beach, from the gentle breeze. I got the wake board and walked onto the dock. As I put on my board and got into the slightly chilly water, my dad told me techniques to get up. I listened but still had very little understanding of how I was ever going to do this. The boat’s loud rumble and shaky dock didn’t help as I tried to focus on what I was about to do. As the boat moved forward, I yelled, “Hit it!” As fast as I popped out of the water, I fell straight back into it. Frustrated, I wanted to go again, so I did. Once more I fell. After multiple tries, I decided to take a break because it was painful on my forearms. Disheartened, I walked back ashore frustrated. A throbbing pain and tiredness throughout my arms were instilled for what seemed would last forever. Shame, embarrassment, and anger felt heavy on my shoulders. I’m going again, and I’m going to get up.

As a young child, full of pride, I didn’t listen to the instructions.  When my dad came up to me and said, “It’s ok, try later in the afternoon and you will get it.”  I shrugged it off as if I didn’t care but deep down this is something I wanted to be amazing at. My dad obviously knew what I was feeling so he tried to tell me different ways to get up, but, still, I didn’t listen. On the grass, I watched as my brother took his turn behind the boat.  He got up quickly and I was mad at myself.  If he could do it, why couldn’t I.  Myself, being very stubborn, wanted to face it alone when I could have used help.  In the afternoon, I tried again. Everything was the same, except this time, I went into the water face first. The pain felt like it was going to last a lifetime, stinging my whole face. The cold water only reminded me of my failure.

Through the pain, I realized that I am going to get smacked in the face over and over until I accepted help. The stinging was fading out, and I needed to try again. As I got on the dock once more, I attentively listened to my dad. “Keep your knees bent, stay in a ball form, and slowly rise up.”  The courage i felt from my dad’s pep talk and my rest of my family quickly rose. I yelled, “Go!” The boats engine revved. The rope tightened and pulled me through and then above the water. I soon realized that I was doing it. Thrilled and overjoyed, I was finally on my wake board.  I could hear the cheers from my family on the shore. From then on, every time I got up, I got better.  The angry emotions went away, replaced with enthusiasm, energy, and eagerness.

Summer had to end sometime. With school starting back up again, I knew I was in for a stressful year. A new grade, new courses and harder tests were in my future. During my break, I was too stubborn to get help, or at least try a different way. Going into the new school year, I knew what I needed to do. I took advice from wherever I could find it.  I told my parents right away when I struggled in school and needed help; something I was too afraid to admit the past year. As I started to learn how to help myself, I saw my whole life improve.  Seeing teacher’s pleased smile as I asked for help really encouraged me to know what I needed to do to succeed. I then knew that asking for help to overcome obstacles could help me learn how to manage and adapt to the future challenges that might come my way.

What i would work on next time:

Work on my passive and active voice.

Make my ideas flow to make sure the reader has a greater understanding of the point I am trying to get across.

Things i liked in my essay:

It was well structured layout making it easy for the reader to understand.

My ideas were able to be seen not hidden or a trouble to understand.

Persuasive Essay Corrections

Is it Justifiable to Break the Law?

In Fahrenheit 451 written by Ray Bradbury and published in 1953,  Bradbury presents a dystopian view of explains the result of the overuse, wrongful use of technology, and government censorship. Guy Montag, the main character, experiences a dramatic realization of his dystopian society when he journeys through moral right and wrong. Although, it may be unlawful to do the righteous thing, it can be justified for the right cause. Thoreau and King are correct as they explain that civil disobedience is necessary because some laws in our society may be unjust and in order to bring the right and proper laws to the public, it can be justified to break those laws. Breaking unjust laws can bring equality to the people and proper leadership to the country. The people or groups suppressed by unjust laws have the right to be freed when the action of breaking the law is for the greater good. Countries with a democracy should have no need for civil disobedience but sometimes it is needed to push the democratic society forward.  Lastly, civil disobedience may become the only option for the public.

In many cases, individuals have stood up against the government and their unfair laws to bring equality to the people. As seen with African Americans fighting for freedom and equality by the “underground railroad,” and “black lives matter” movements. Democracy is in place to not have uprising to break unjust laws, but there are still minorities who are suppressed. Many argue that democracy may move too slow for these unjust laws to be revoked. So, it leaves an option to break the law to make life better for these minorities and people who are suppressed by the unjust laws. Dr. Kevin Walton explains that civil disobedience is needed and agrees with Thoreau and King with this quote: “Even if there is a duty to obey the law, it might be trumped in specific cases by considerations of justice” (Dr. Kevin Walton). Democracy can solve problems without disobedience of the law but some people do not have the option of democracy.  With a democracy government, the people have the say what laws can be instated. However, democracy is flawed by the majority is suppressing the minorities. In the dystopian society, in Fahrenheit 451, the novel shows many aspects of a government dictatorship. It leads to the explanation that disobedience of the law needs to happen to not be suppressed by the government. As shown by Guy Montag, in Fahrenheit 451, the only way to escape the dystopia and give the people hope is to rebel against the government. In the novel, he finds others who believe in the same freedom as he does.

Although democracy gives the power of the government to people, some unkind laws may stay in place. Therefore, civil disobedience is warranted to move the democratic action. Large figures in the civil rights movements, including Mohandas Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr. both used civil disobedience in a peaceful manner to march upon their governments to change unjust laws. Both examples succeeded due to the large popularity of their respective movements and changed the unfair law for the better. In the novel, Fahrenheit 451, Guy Montag learns the truth about the society that he lives in and acts upon it. He defies the governments rule by reading books, plotting against the government and his fellow firemen. Although his plan to start a revolution did not work, he proved the government’s wrong doings.

During times of oppression, people believe that civil disobedience is the only option. Malcolm X and his supporters followed this same belief in their actions during the civil rights movement. Malcolm X agreed with physical violence to protect oneself unlike Martin Luther King Jr. who advocated for peaceful movements. Guy Montag, in Fahrenheit 451, had an ideology like Malcolm X.  He believed that it was necessary to act upon civil disobedience against the government.  Guy Montag lived in a society where there was very little chance of having a peaceful challenge to the government, so he used physical violence, killing Captain Beatty and the Mechanical Hound because of his dire situation. Guy Montag and Malcolm X’s reasoning justify their actions because of the intense and dangerous situation. A quote to prove this belief is from The New York Times: “The occurrence of civil disobedience can never be a happy phenomenon; when it is justified, something is seriously wrong with the society in which it takes place” (Is It Right to Break the Law?). Both Guy Montag and Malcolm X lived in a society where many things were wrong, and both took civil disobedience into their own hands. Their actions are justified because of the society that they live in.

Many large political and philosophical figures in history have questioned the morals of right and wrong, whether to disobey the government to free themselves and others or not. Thoreau and King believed that civil disobedience is needed in society. They believed that it is justifiable to break laws in order to stop the suppression of certain groups, to push forward democratic action to help those in need, to rid societies of unfair laws, and when civil disobedience becomes the last viable option. Thoreau and King are correct, stating that civil disobedience is needed to face unjust laws. Without civil disobedience, civilization would be vastly unjust for the certain individuals and groups in every society. These real or imagined inequalities certainly justify the actions of civil disobedience.

Image result for fahrenheit 451

https://society6.com/product/fahrenheit-451-ray-bradbury_throw-blanket

Two things I liked about my writing was:

I was able to prove my point clear and concisely with facts and proven points to back up my view.

Also I had a well structured layout of my essay, making it easy for the reader to understand what my point is trying to get across.

Two things I would like to improve:

I can go more into detail in my thoughts. Explore what other questions are behind the first question and fully develop my writing.

Also I can bring more quotes from the novel and my secondary sources to prove my point.