Night Short Essay

Elie Wiesel's speech "The Perils of Indifference" and book "Night" both help the audience explore human nature. These two texts show compliance, participation, and apathy in the reoccurrence of large scale injustice. Therefor, humans being inclined to act with cruelty is revealed to the reader.

Acts of cruelty is shown in "The Perils of Indifference" through the use of diction. When Wiesel states "In the place that I come from, society was composed of three simple categories: the killers, the victims, and the bystanders. During the darkest of times, inside the ghettoes and death camps, we felt abandoned, forgotten." the words "abandoned" and "forgotten" evokes pity or sadness. Also, the statement shows how cruelly they were treated and how they had no one to help them. On the other hand, In the third section of "Night" Wiesel also shows cruelty within humankind through repetition and word choice. When Wiesel says "Never shall I forget that smoke. Never shall I forget the little faces of the children, whose bodies I saw turned into wreaths of smoke beneath a silent blue sky." the phrase "bodies I saw turned into wreaths of smoke" evokes sympathy and sorrow.

Elie Wiesel's speech "The Perils of Indifference" and book "Night" reveal humans being inclined to act with cruelty. Wiesel does this by using diction and repetition. Also, Wiesel touches the readers emotions of pity and sadness through his word choice.

Othello Socratic Sem Reflection

The Socratic seminar impacted my thinking on the main influences that shaped the Elizabethan era. We discussed that reputation, racism, patriarchy, and jealousy were all very popular during this era. There were many things said that made me think about something I hadn't thought of before. When one of my peers stated that the cause of Othello becoming insecure towards Desdemona was probably because of his race. This made me realize how much racism impacted the Elizabethan era.

The statement from one of my peers that I agree with the most is that woman were treated unfairly as if they were in a lower status than men. One statement form my peer that I did not agree with is that Iago's plan was successful. I disagree with this because although Iago got revenge on Cassio and Othello, eventually everyone figured out what his plan and he no longer was able to take the military rank that Cassio had. Many different topics and questions were covered during the seminar. Therefore there is nothing that needs to be said that hasn't already been discussed.

 During the seminar I believe having a dicussion leader really helped the disscussion flow. The disscussion leader made sure we set goals for us to accomplish and that everyone had the oppurtunity to speak. Also, the discussion leader made sure we weren't on one topic for to long and connected the text to our disscussions. Half time also worked very well for the seminar, during half time we were able to get advice from our peers and also give advice to our peers. Also during half time I was able to have some time to think about maybe what I needed to change and do during the next portion of the seminar.

 Our oppurtunities for improvement were that more direct quotes were used. There wasn't many direct quotes , just analysis. Also many of the questions that were being asked were off topic and not related to the theme of Elizabethan era. If our questions were more on topic that could've resulted in everyone getting higher grades. Also that could've resulted in everyone understanding the topic more.

Shakespeare Dramatic Reading

 



         The monologue I chose was during Act 5 scene 2, starting at line 354. This part of the play is when Othello finally realizes that he was betrayed by Iago and his wife wasn't actually cheating on him. During this monologue Othello feels ashamed, guilty, and in pain because he has finally noticed what he did to his wife was wrong.  Therefor, in my dramatic reading, I tried to use my choice of tone and emphasis around these feelings. My tones can be described as anxiousness, hopelessness, and sorrow.
         This monologue showed me more characteristics of Othello. In the beginning of the play Othello is seen as a very strong character with much pride. During this monologue, Othello shows that he can also be very weak, by showing his guilt and killing himself. Also this monologue showed how important reputation was to Othello. This is shown when he says "When you shall these unlucky deeds relate, Speak of me as I am. Nothing extenuate, Nor set down aught in malice. Then must you speak".
          This monologue was a major important part of the plays resolution. After the reader knew that Othello was being manipulated and lied to, Othello finally realizes it too. The fact that Othello decides to commit suicide after he murders Desdemona , makes this play a tragedy. It also further complicated the conflict because Othello could not get the full story of what truly happened between Iago and Cassio.

Chapter 7

Theme Statement:
Choices from the past will come back and help or harm you.

Literary Device: Diction
“While at the Job Corps Center, Wes had problems floating off the soft country air of Laurel. A year after graduating, he realized they had not disappeared – they’d simply returned to Baltimore, waiting for him to come back. In his absence, they’d compounded. Tears welled in Wes’s eyes but never fell. He’d realized long ago that crying does no good.”

Analysis:
When the other Wes Moore tries to get his life on the right path, he is bombarded with problems he made in the past. Being involved with drugs and having many babies our of wedlock in his past stopped him from being able to move on with his future in the right path. In this quote, the phrase "problems floating off the soft country air of Laurel" shows that the choices from Wes's past were still there to haunt him. This theme is also seen in the beginning of the chapter. When the author Wes was able to become the regimental commander for the 70th Corps of Cadets because of his good choices at Valley Forge with his education.

Chapter 6

Theme Statement: 
When we are given second chances, our choices are very impactful to our life.

Literary Device:  Diction
“Getting arrested was starting to feel routine. Wes wasn't shocked or afraid anymore..." p.114

Analysis:
After serving 6 months in jail for the shooting incident with Ray, the other Wes Moore was given a second chance to make better choices that could postitively impact his life. His aunt Nicey gave him a place to live and encouraged him to stay in school and/or find a job. Unfortunately, Wes used this oppurtunity to go back into the drug circle and eventually found himself being arrested again. In this quote, the phrases "routine" and "wasnt shocked or afraid" is used to show how Wes didnt use his second chance to change his bad past. On the other hand, when the author Wes Moore was given a second chance by attending Valley Forge, he changed his whole life arround for the better.

Chapter 5

Theme Statement:
Teenagers will realize their bad choices through harsh awakenings.

Literary Device: Diction
"I was defeated. I had never wanted anything more in my life than to leave that school, and I was slowly coming to the realization that it was not going to happen" p.93

Analysis:
When the author Wes Moore's mother notices Wes was being academic and disciplinary probation because of his bad grades, behavior, and absences from school, she send Wes to Valley Forge. Wes hates Valley Forge's strict ways and tries to escape many times. In this quote, Wes shows his regret for his previous bad choices by using the words "defeated" and "realization". Also the other Wes Moore gets his harsh awakening when the police show up to his house after the gun shootings he was involved in. When he hides the gun and changes into knew clothes, this shows the reader how he had quickly realized what he had done and regrets it.

Chapter 4

Theme Statement:
Punishments for young peoples crimes can impact their entire life. 

Literary Device: Diction
"Loneliness enveloped me. I felt my fate suddenly twinned with that of Shea, an aspiring drug dealer who I knew didn't really give a damn about me." p.82

Analysis:
When the author, Wes Moore, was caught doing graffiti by the police,he started to question everything about his future and even promised to change his future.In this quote, the author uses the words like "fate" to show that the authors future was effected by his punishment. This theme is seen throughout the chapter. When, the other Wes Moore's mother found Wes's stash of drugs, she threw it all down the toilet. Knowing that he would have to pay all the money back and he could no longer keep his drugs in his mothers house, Wes become very anxious about what he was going to do next and his future.When teenagers are held accountable for their actions, and are given a punishment, their whole lives can be impacted and changed.

Chapter 3

Theme Statement:
Drugs negatively affected many communities.

Literary Device: Diction
"But crack was different. After it officialy introduced itslef in the early 1980s, it didn't take long for crack to place a stranglehold on many communities." p.51

Analysis:
The author Wes Moore first introduces drugs by mentioning the terrible stories he heard about crack and  how crack negatively influenced the Bronx by increasing the murder rate by 61%. The author also states how drug gangs rapidly expanded and even recruited some of his friends. In this quote, the author uses the word "stranglehold" to show cracks great amount of control on the community. This message is given throughout the chapter. The other Wes Moores brother, Tony, was sent to the hospital after a serious injury due to his existance in the drug world. Even the other Wes Moore mentions his bad experience with drugs and how they made him feel vunerable and uncomfortable. Abusing drugs started chaos and disorder in communities all around the world and is still an active battle we fight to this day.

Socratic Seminar Final Reflection

          Peri Bright
             The socratic seminar influenced my thinking on maternal roles in households. This is because the conversation that was held during the socratic seminar about mothers roles in The Other Wes Moore. I remember hearing my peer saying that even though mothers can go through so much chaos, society still expects them to raise perfect children. In The Other Wes Moore, although the author Wes Moores father dies, the mother is still held to the expectation and job of taking care of her children. Also, even though the other Wes Moore's mothers Pell Grant is cut and she can no longer attend college and complete her education, she is still expected to raise her children perfectly.

           A statement that I agreed with the most was that women and men should be held to the same expectations of raising children. I believe this because it is not fair for women to be given more pressure than men to raise good children. A statement that I disagreed with is that people who are in poverty and raised in bad conditions have the excuse to not be succsessful in the future. I believe your success depends on the oppurtunities and risk you take. Although some people have to put in more work to be succsessful then others, everyone is capable of doing anything through hard work and dedication. During the seminar I wish I brung up this opinion because it could have shifted the discussions and maybe changed the opinions of my peers.

          During the seminar I believe having a dicussion leader really helped the disscussion flow. The disscussion leader made sure we set goals for us to accomplish and that everyone had the oppurtunity to speak. Also, the discussion leader made sure we weren't on one topic for to long and connected the text to our disscussions. Half time also worked very well for the seminar, during half time we were able to get advice from our peers and also give advice to our peers. Also during half time I was able to have some time to think about maybe what I needed to change and do during the next portion of the seminar.

           Our oppurtunities for improvement were that more people could have spoken more. Some people only spoke because they were prompted to. Many people were too intimidated to speak as much as the could have. If we had more opinions from different people, that could have completely changed our disscussion. Also many of the questions that were being asked were off topic and not related to the theme of maternal roles. If our questions were more on topic that could've resulted in everyone getting higher grades and understanding the topic more.

Chapter 2

Peri Bright

Theme statement:
Single mothers take risks to keep their childrens life secure.

Literary Device: Diction
"Her protective vigilance for her surving family had overtaken rationality. For the past two years, she'd slept on the couch, listening, waiting, protecting." p.36

Analysis:
The author Wes's mother was always protective of her children, but after her husband died and the neighborhood became more dangerous, she became a serious safe guard for her children. In this quote Wes Moore uses words like "protetive vigilance" "listening, waiting, protecting" to give the reader the feeling that his mother became over protective. This theme and mood is set throughout the whole chapter. The author states that other Wes Moore's mother moves their family from the chaotic Cherry Hill Apartments to a surburben area, Northwood, to keep her family away from the citys imploding center. Since single mothers do not have a partner to help them with the heavy weight of having children, they will often go to any limit to make sure that the absence of a father will not negatively effect their children.

Chapter 1

Peri Bright

Theme Statement:
Deaths in a family heavily impacts the family.

Literary Device: Simile 
" It was like standing in a field when a powerful gust of wind suddenly blows: everything around you vanishes, all you hear is the wind filling your ears, all you feel is the wind on your skin. Your eyes tear, and sight blurs. Your mind all but empties." p.14

Analysis:
 Wes's family was painfully effected by his fathers death. This simile shows how powerful the news was when Wes's family found out. Wes comparing that feeling to a field when a powerful gust of wind suddenly blows shows how lonely and sad he felt in that moment. The rest of the family was also affected. Wes tells the reader this by explaing how his mother passed out moments after getting the news and how Nikki took his death bad as well. Although Wes was too young to completely understand what was going on, this simile shows he was still impacted and he had a feeling that something wasn't right. Family of the deceased usually have a hard time copping with the death because of their emotions, this can be hard for anyone outside of the family to undertand. Wes Moores simile can help the reader understand exactly how the family is feeling during this time.