“Race Over” by Orlando Patterson
Medium prompt

Orlando Patterson states in his essay that there will be several problems the world has to deal with in the years to come. He feels, however, that race will not be one of these problems. There may still be violence, but different ethnicities will manage to find common ground. The current media suggests that Patterson may be onto something. The media presents many different problems. Models that appear all skin and bones and are completely made up in make up have a negative effect on average women. They easily make other girls feel ugly, or not good enough. Violence is huge in movies, often making it appear that violence is the answer. Alcohol, drugs, and cigarettes are also often found on shows and music videos, almost encouraging teenagers to try something illegal.

Race, however, is not a problem. Derek Jeter, who is African American and Caucasian, is just as famous as Christina Aguilera, who is half Ecuadorian. Just about every race is represented in the media. There are people of different ethnicities in every show, movie, and music video. So while there are several dilemmas with the media, race is not one of them. I feel that this current trend will continue. The media has proven that anyone can be successful, regardless of their background. It does not matter where they are from or what their ethnicity is. They can be successful. There are so many examples of different people finding success, and thus I believe that this current trend will continue.

“Herstory” by Jan Morris
Message Prompt

In the past, women have been viewed as weaker than men, and as the inferior gender. They were not given nearly as many rights as men, and were only expected in life to care for the family – nothing else. Eventually, however, women began to gain more rights. They began to partake in activities that only men used to participate in, and they became physically and emotionally stronger. Today, women can do just about anything men can do. And often, they can do it better.

Jan Morris states in her essay, “the old immovable opposites of Male and Female may be converging after all.” It is clear within the essay that Morris believes women are becoming more like men. She mentions that fifty years ago, no one expected women to be playing soccer, let along boxing. No one believed that men would end up splitting the household chores with women. Fifty years ago, there were set roles for women and men. A woman was too weak to play sports, and therefore could only look after the household. Yet now that fifty years has past, women are playing sports. Not only are they playing, but they are finding enormous success. The Williams sisters, Mia Hamm, Lisa Leslie. All of them have made a living out of playing their favorite sport. Females are now just as strong as men. Women have also managed to become political figures. Hilary Clinton may become the first female president. All in all, females are much more capable. They are becoming more like men, as men are becoming more like women. Hopefully, one day it will not be considered so strange for a woman to be president. After all, over time, she has become completely capable.

Animal Rights
Message Prompt

In 1789, Jeremy Bentham wrote of animals, "The question is not, Can they reason? nor, can they talk? but, can they suffer?" I think this quote means that it does not matter if we can communicate with animals, or if they think like us. Animals obviously have both emotional and physical feelings. You can tell when an animal's spirits are not high, and you can tell when an animal is suffering from pain. Animals can also show love and affection. They can be a person's friend, and they can provide comfort. They can be playful and bring fun into people’s lives. The point is, animals have characteristics of a human. They have characteristics that can make them a part of a family. Therefore, if humans should not be tested on nor treated cruelly, why should animals? There is absolutely no reason animals should suffer from this cruelty, as they are similar to us, and this is what Bentham is trying to get across to the reader.

This quote is so powerful because it really related animals to human beings. Sure, they are different from us. Sure, we may never be able to have a conversation with them. However, animals are just as important as humans. They are just as caring, playful, and emotional. This quote explains that while there are differences, the similarities are much more important. And because of these similarities, it is horribly wrong for animals to suffer cruelty.

Someone who is against animals could also use Bentham’s statement to support his or her reasoning. If someone supported animal testing or killing animals for food, they could use this quote to argue that animals are below humans. Someone against animals could say that the question is not can they reason, because animals do not think the same way humans do. They could also say that the question is not can they talk, because they clearly do not speak to people through a human language. Therefore, if they cannot think like humans, nor communicate with us through words, someone against animals would easily consider animals to be inferior. Therefore, why not test on them? Someone in support of animal cruelty would say it does not matter for animals to suffer because they are not on the same level as humans. However, this quote works best for an animal rights activist, and it should. Animals should have every right humans do, and they should never have to suffer because they are considered inferior.

"On Dumpster Diving" by Lars Eighner
Message Prompt

Lars Eighner learns several different lessons from his experience in dumpster diving. One, for example, is that he learns to take absolutely nothing for granted. In fact, Eighner gains plenty of weight while dumpster diving because he eats everything he finds so nothing goes to waste. Similar to this, he also collects junk he does not need just because he hates to see anything wasted. Another lesson he learns is to be courteous to others. Eighner hates the people he calls "can scroungers" because they dig to the bottom of the dumpster, covering up good food that others could benefit from. Eighner believes that if he finds something good that he is not using, he should leave it out in plain sight for others to find. He is helping himself, all while looking out for others. Finally, Eighner learns he does not need material things in order to find happiness in life. Before he dumpster dived, he used to invest material objects with sentimental value. However, now he is without the material objects, and he still finds value in life. He does not need a television in order to be content.

Through these lessons, Eighner becomes a more ethical person. He learns lessons in life that unfortunately most people do not. These principles gained by Eighner should be applicable to everyone, but they are not. The affluent take many things for granted, and are quick to throw perfectly good objects away. They do not care if anything goes to waste. They also do not learn that they do not need material things in the life. The affluent have big screen televisions with over three hundred channels. They own the most expensive objects, and most would find it extremely difficult - almost impossible - to live without these riches. Everyone should learn the lessons that Eighner has learned. However, this probably will not happen unless they are forced to live in the conditions that Eighner experienced.

Eighner writes, "I think of scavenging as a modern form of self-reliance". I think he means that through his experience, he has learned to survive only based on his needs. He finds food for himself, and any objects found in the dumpster. He cannot go to the store to buy these things. Instead, he must rely on himself to find the things he absolutely needs in life. He does not have the priviledge of buying material objects. Therefore, scaveging has become his form of self-reliance.

“Gangstas” by Richard Rodriguez
Method prompt

In his essay, Richard Rodriguez praises Joseph Rodriguez’s photos of the gangster life. He enjoys the photographs because it does not romanticize their subject. I agree with this completely. The first picture, Chivo, shows a father teaching his extremely young daughter how to handle a gun. The mother looks on approvingly, as if it is almost amusing. I do not believe the purpose of this photo is to glorify this lifestyle. I think this photo is intended to shock the viewers. A father should never be teaching his young daughter these types of things. She is around two years old, and already he is bringing violence into her life.

The photo of little Mike Estrada shows him holding a photo of his father, who is in jail. This is also not romanticizing the gangster life. Mike appears to be around six years old and he is without a father. His father was involved in crime, and now Mike has lost a member of his family for a long period of time. It is extremely sad for such a young child to lose his father, especially when it is because his father has committed a crime. This is sad, now glorious. Rodriguez makes a point of showing this through his work. Finally, the last photo shows the funeral of a two-and-a-half-year-old, and his sad family. Thomas Regalado was only an infant. He died before he had any decent amount of time to experience life. It is obvious that Thomas, at such a young age, could not have done anything to deserve death. This, therefore, does not glorify the gangster life. Instead, it shows how stupid the lifestyle can be to lead an infant to such an early death.

Both the essayist and the photographer seem to share a similar distaste for this type of life. However, the photographer expresses the gangs better. The characteristics and lifestyle is clear through the photos. It may be difficult to understand the photographer’s opinion through them. Yet, the photo accurately depicts the true life of gang members. The essayist focuses more on his opinion, and therefore may not be entirely accurate.

“People Like Us” by David Brooks
Message Prompt

In his essay, David Brooks states that the United States is not as diverse as it seems. As a whole, the country is extremely varied. However, when broken up into different areas and neighborhoods, the races are actually very similar. Brooks believes that while diversity is very important to Americans, we tend to stick to people who are similar to us. For instance, I tend to spend time with people who enjoy the same activities as me. We like to say we are diverse, yet we tend to stick to people with the same ideas and qualities as us. The United States is actually broken into clusters, whether or not people are willing to admit this.

Brooks’s position is not completely clear. He believes that the world should be diverse. He believes all neighborhoods should consist of all ethnicities. However, he understands that it is human nature to want to be with people similar to each other. When I go to college next year, I am going to want to be roommates with someone who reads similar books and who likes to spend their free time as I do. I do not want to end up with someone completely unlike me. Brooks states that in order to live well, people will want to be with people like themselves. Yet Brooks feels it is also important for people to expand their minds. He believes that everyone should exit the familiar and try something new. It is best for everyone to experience different lifestyles and cultures.

Maya Angelou has a different view on diversity. She understands that every single American is different in some way. No two people in the world are exactly the same. We are only different through minor characteristics, such as our favorite film or favorite candy bar. In the grand scheme of things, however, we are more similar than not. We are similar in bigger ways than just the color of our skin.

The images from 24/7 seem to agree with Brooks’s ideas on diversity. The pictures St. Ignatius, Montanta shows a group of Amish people and Teaneck, New Jersey shows a group of Muslim girls. These are two different kinds of people, however, they are grouped together. This shows that America, as a whole, is diverse. Yet we cluster and stick to people like us.

The picture entitled Burlington County Times, however, seems to agree more with Angelou’s position. It shows several different houses that all look the same. Individually, each house is different. Each house has a different family, a different address, and a different story. Yet overall, in the picture, every house appears to be more similar than different.