One of the more annoying phrases in the English language is "I can't do anything about this". One of the worst feelings is feelings powerless over a situation and like you don't have any control. One of these situations I face everyday is money, a problem that all of us Americans face. Money can open up more or even less opportunities for a person. Money determines how important you are to a society, how much treatment you get and even what your future holds. Money can be a blessing for some, but a downfall for others, particularly a downfall for lower middle class families.
When I was about 15 years old, I realized how important it is in the economy to work hard and to keep saving capital. My parents owned a very nice house and we always had food in the fridge; little necessities that everyone should have. I usually also had things that I asked for, such as a new jacket or a new book, sometimes a new phone if I was lucky. My parents could afford these little things for me as well as all of our bills. I never knew the value of a dollar or my parents hard work to give me these things.
Within a few months, as our economy was spiraling downwards, my parents lost both of their jobs. Soon the opportunity to work disappeared as well. My mom became disabled and my dad obtained a criminal record. My parents are both older as well, and employers want young people to work for them, even though my parents each had years of experience and training. Without a job, a family can't pay bills. Without money, families can't afford homes. In 2009 my family became a statistic and lost our home. We were not only jobless, but we were homeless. We lost all of our possessions as well as our sense of security.
The bank gave us about 6 months to find a place to live. Little did we know that finding a place to live was almost as impossible as finding a job. You need money to get a place to live but without a job it's impossible. It's a dangerous cycle. Luckily, my parents were able to sell the house and saved the money they got from selling it. My parents went to live in York, Maine with my aunt for free in her farmhouse while I stayed in Malden to live with my uncle for free to finish out my sophomore year of high school.
My mom's mind was blown by the foreclosure as well as not being able to live with the family she wanted. She lost control of herself and by the winter of 2011, my mom drained the family's money on booze and pills. It was a painful thing to witness but the most painful part was having to witness my mom pawn her wedding ring just to pay for her prescription's.
Medical emergencies became the norm, and paying for them in full came along with it. We couldn't afford any type of insurance, so when it came time to get my wisdom teeth removed, my parents had to pay for it in full, plunging us into more and more debt.
Eventually I had to move to York, ME to live with my aunt so I could attend school. My aunt was just like my parents; she had problems paying her bills because she couldn't find a job either. Her house was about to go under as well. My parents eventually moved out of my aunt's house to move back to Massachusetts, leaving me two states away.
We eventually ran out of options for ourselves. We got turned down for welfare, housing, food stamps, apartments and jobs. We either had a few dollars more in our bank accounts or had few less dollars to have any of these. About a month later, my mom stopped drinking, which meant our family would end up having a little more money to save. The government also realized that my mom was very sick and couldn't legally work. She finally started to make an income, about $900 a month in social security. Not enough for a two bedroom or even a one bedroom apartment in Malden, but enough to buy her wedding ring back. It was a positive start and things began to look up from there.
A month later, someone saw through my dad's criminal record; he got employed as a janitor at the YMCA. Even though my dad had a college degree, he took any job he could get. He wasn't going to make money from being picky. Money started coming in, but mom's habit kicked back in. Whenever my parents got close to having enough money to get their own apartment and out of the shelter, something came up: mom drank, or mom needed treatment, or my dad needed medication. Dad couldn't afford health care and he made too much money for free health care. His prescriptions ran up about $300 a month for his diabetes.
Somehow, things seemed to go our way and an apartment in our price range opened up. We were quick to grab and it and succeeded. We were no longer homeless or even struggling with finances. Things were looking up for us for the first time in a very long period. As good as things seemed and as good as things are going, they will never be perfect. My dad lost his job a few weeks ago and the family had to start cutting finances and spending ever since. We're still able to afford our rent and our electric bill; that's all that matters to us, having a place to live.
Even though my mom gets money and we have a house, we still struggle with money. I've been looking for a job ever since my dad lost his. It's become harder to pay for some of the necessities in life like food, but as long as we have a roof over our head we'll be just fine. I had a really hard time paying for community college as well as my own insurance. Money makes the world go round, but understanding the value of a dollar can make all the difference.
Tuesday, September 25, 2012
Thursday, September 20, 2012
Group Activity 9/20
| Partner's Name: Jeannetty, Kristina, Chris |
See |
"the bluebirds getting ready for winter, twittering in the little gray fountain", "even with the light on its dark and they ain't no fancy wallpaper", "narrow eyes watch me pass by", the tears coming out of Aibileen because of Treelore.
|
Hear |
the phone ringing, Mae Mobley squeal, "... I heard a series of clicks", doorbells ring, "Elaine Stein laughed like a growl",
|
Smell |
"rain make it smell a little swampy", "... and she smell like pneumonia", diapers,
|
Taste |
grape juice, caramel cake,
|
Feel |
"bathroom seat gets cold out there", "we get ourselves a cool fifty degrees", "the way she say it... make my insides hurt", "I feel a tickly feeling", Miss Skeeters nervousness, Aibileen's sadness for Treelore,
|
In-Class writing 9/20
What worked for me:
-He gave himself a voice as well as his aunt
-You could feel the emotions of everyone in the church. He made it clear that everyone was excited and happy for all the young children
-the structure of the paragraphs was very organized.
What didn't work for me:
-The dialogue was a little unbelievable. It wasn't as strong as it should be.
The story was very engaging. It was simply written but it was a powerful story. The way he described all the cheering made it believable as well as exciting. It was almost as if you could feel the emotions coming from the room. He didn't overdo it. He didn't use too many adjectives.
His purpose was to portray a picture of an event that was truly important to his family and the people of his town, and yet, he, a little kid, didn't see what the big deal was. He didn't quite seem to understand the significance of the priests and his aunt wanting him to go to Jesus. As a child, he didn't really know what to expect. He didn't know what it felt like to have Jesus; he wanted to see him.
-He gave himself a voice as well as his aunt
-You could feel the emotions of everyone in the church. He made it clear that everyone was excited and happy for all the young children
-the structure of the paragraphs was very organized.
What didn't work for me:
-The dialogue was a little unbelievable. It wasn't as strong as it should be.
The story was very engaging. It was simply written but it was a powerful story. The way he described all the cheering made it believable as well as exciting. It was almost as if you could feel the emotions coming from the room. He didn't overdo it. He didn't use too many adjectives.
His purpose was to portray a picture of an event that was truly important to his family and the people of his town, and yet, he, a little kid, didn't see what the big deal was. He didn't quite seem to understand the significance of the priests and his aunt wanting him to go to Jesus. As a child, he didn't really know what to expect. He didn't know what it felt like to have Jesus; he wanted to see him.
Homework #4 Outline
One of the most annoying and frustrating phrases in this world is "I can't do anything about this". It's an aggravating sentence, partially because we as people don't entirely like to admit that we are powerless. One of these situations I face everyday is money, a problem that all of us American's face, but money has been the biggest influence on my opportunities. Money determines how important you are to a society, how much treatment you get and what your future holds. Money can be a blessing for some, but a downfall for others, particularly a downfall for lower middle class families much like mine.
I suppose I started to realize the significance of money in the American society when I was 15. My parents owned a very nice house and we always had food. I usually also had things that I asked for, such as a new jacket or a new book. My parents could afford these little things that I never thought about. I never knew the value of a dollar or my parents hard work to give me these things until one day my parents both lost their jobs and I had to kiss those jackets and luxuries good bye for a little while. But soon, the opportunity to work disappeared. Mom got a disability and dad got a criminal record. No money means more bills and more bills means no money. Without money, families can't afford homes, which is what happened to mine. In 2009 my family became a statistic and lost our home. Jobless, homeless; a statistic.
We had about 2 months after the bank announced our foreclosure to find a new place to live, but finding a place to live is almost as impossible as finding a job. You need money to get a place to live but without a job it's impossible. My parents went to live in York, ME with my aunt for free and I stayed in Malden to live with my uncle for free. The stress and distance between my parents and I became a dilemma; mom developed a habit. By the winter of 2011, mom drained the family's money on booze. The most painful part was having to witness my mom pawn her wedding ring just to pay for her perscriptions.
Eventually I had to move to York, ME to live with my aunt so I could attend school. Money was a problem everywhere. When I moved in, my aunt was struggling to pay the bills without any help. Nothing from the government or anyone else in the household.
We got turned down for welfare, housing, food stamps, apartments and jobs. We either had a few dollars more in our bank accounts or had few little dollars to have any of these. The stress caused things to go downhill; mom tried to kill herself. Although this was a heinous act to try to commit, it seemed to turn things around. About a month later, my mom stopped drinking, which meant we had more money. The government also realized that my mom was very sick and couldn't legally work. She finally started to make an income, about $900 a month in social security. Not enough for a two bedroom or even a one bedroom apartment in Malden, but enough to buy her wedding ring back. It was a positive start.
A month later, someone saw through my dad's criminal record; he got employed as a janitor at the YMCA. Money started coming in, but mom's habit kicked back in. Whenever my parents got close to having enough money to get their own apartment and out of their shelter, something came up: mom drank, or mom needed treatment, or my dad needed medication. Dad couldn't afford health care and he made too much money for free health care. His prescriptions ran up about $300 a month for his diabetes.
It took a near death experience to bring this madness to a stop. My mom's drinking drove her liver to death. She needed a liver transplant, but a doctor can't perform a liver transplant without money. By some miracle, my mom's liver recovered. By some miracle, a month later an apartment in our price range appeared. It seemed that something brilliant was going to happen after these past three years.
Even though my mom get's money and we have a house, we still struggle with money. I've been looking for a job ever since my dad lost his. It's been hard to pay our rent, but we're managing.
I suppose I started to realize the significance of money in the American society when I was 15. My parents owned a very nice house and we always had food. I usually also had things that I asked for, such as a new jacket or a new book. My parents could afford these little things that I never thought about. I never knew the value of a dollar or my parents hard work to give me these things until one day my parents both lost their jobs and I had to kiss those jackets and luxuries good bye for a little while. But soon, the opportunity to work disappeared. Mom got a disability and dad got a criminal record. No money means more bills and more bills means no money. Without money, families can't afford homes, which is what happened to mine. In 2009 my family became a statistic and lost our home. Jobless, homeless; a statistic.
We had about 2 months after the bank announced our foreclosure to find a new place to live, but finding a place to live is almost as impossible as finding a job. You need money to get a place to live but without a job it's impossible. My parents went to live in York, ME with my aunt for free and I stayed in Malden to live with my uncle for free. The stress and distance between my parents and I became a dilemma; mom developed a habit. By the winter of 2011, mom drained the family's money on booze. The most painful part was having to witness my mom pawn her wedding ring just to pay for her perscriptions.
Eventually I had to move to York, ME to live with my aunt so I could attend school. Money was a problem everywhere. When I moved in, my aunt was struggling to pay the bills without any help. Nothing from the government or anyone else in the household.
We got turned down for welfare, housing, food stamps, apartments and jobs. We either had a few dollars more in our bank accounts or had few little dollars to have any of these. The stress caused things to go downhill; mom tried to kill herself. Although this was a heinous act to try to commit, it seemed to turn things around. About a month later, my mom stopped drinking, which meant we had more money. The government also realized that my mom was very sick and couldn't legally work. She finally started to make an income, about $900 a month in social security. Not enough for a two bedroom or even a one bedroom apartment in Malden, but enough to buy her wedding ring back. It was a positive start.
A month later, someone saw through my dad's criminal record; he got employed as a janitor at the YMCA. Money started coming in, but mom's habit kicked back in. Whenever my parents got close to having enough money to get their own apartment and out of their shelter, something came up: mom drank, or mom needed treatment, or my dad needed medication. Dad couldn't afford health care and he made too much money for free health care. His prescriptions ran up about $300 a month for his diabetes.
It took a near death experience to bring this madness to a stop. My mom's drinking drove her liver to death. She needed a liver transplant, but a doctor can't perform a liver transplant without money. By some miracle, my mom's liver recovered. By some miracle, a month later an apartment in our price range appeared. It seemed that something brilliant was going to happen after these past three years.
Even though my mom get's money and we have a house, we still struggle with money. I've been looking for a job ever since my dad lost his. It's been hard to pay our rent, but we're managing.
Tuesday, September 18, 2012
In-Class writing 9/18
One of Aibileen's biggest concerns is what is going to happen to Mae Mobley in the future. Aibileen's biggest concern is Mae Mobley turning out like her mother and thinking that black people are diseased and dirty. Miss Leefolt saw Mae Mobley use Aibileen's bathroom and became outraged. She taught Mae Mobley how to use her own bathroom and even showed her what to do, and yet Mae Mobley still insists on going in Aibileen's.
In the future Mae Mobley will definitely have some interesting stories to tell. Stories about how her mother was neglectful and would get mad at her for silly little things like not eating in her highchair or even how Miss Leefolt would hit her for wanting attention. She was sent mixed signals as a child. Aibileen was the one that raised her and cared for her and yet her mom was enraged when Mae Mobley used anything that belonged to Aibileen. Mae Mobley is very attached to Aibileen; much more than Miss Leefolt. Considering Mae Mobley's behavior, I can predict that she will not end up like her mother and racist. Instead she will probably end up like Miss Skeeter and value Aibileen as a person and as a caregiver.
In the future Mae Mobley will definitely have some interesting stories to tell. Stories about how her mother was neglectful and would get mad at her for silly little things like not eating in her highchair or even how Miss Leefolt would hit her for wanting attention. She was sent mixed signals as a child. Aibileen was the one that raised her and cared for her and yet her mom was enraged when Mae Mobley used anything that belonged to Aibileen. Mae Mobley is very attached to Aibileen; much more than Miss Leefolt. Considering Mae Mobley's behavior, I can predict that she will not end up like her mother and racist. Instead she will probably end up like Miss Skeeter and value Aibileen as a person and as a caregiver.
Sunday, September 16, 2012
Homework #3
1) there was a time last year when my mother was severely drinking. She was living with my uncle at the time and I wish I had told him that she was drinking, I knew she was. It would have saved the whole family and her a bunch of hardship.
2) When I was a sophomore in high school, I had to move to York, ME and leave all my friends behind. Some of us still stayed in touch but others I don't even talk to anymore.
3) Living in Maine made me feel isolated and different because I didn't live with very close family. I didn't live my parents and everyone in York was much different than people in Malden so it was hard for me to make friends at first.
4) About 3 years ago, my mom learned she was an alcoholic. I lost her to alcoholism.
5) N/A
6) When working at the Goldenrod, I disappointed people constantly, especially my boss. Even the littlest things disappointed her
7) My aunt, whom I haven't seen or talked to in years, was surprised to learn that I wasn't a republican and that I wasn't voting for Mitt Romney. She was fairly disappointed.
2) When I was a sophomore in high school, I had to move to York, ME and leave all my friends behind. Some of us still stayed in touch but others I don't even talk to anymore.
3) Living in Maine made me feel isolated and different because I didn't live with very close family. I didn't live my parents and everyone in York was much different than people in Malden so it was hard for me to make friends at first.
4) About 3 years ago, my mom learned she was an alcoholic. I lost her to alcoholism.
5) N/A
6) When working at the Goldenrod, I disappointed people constantly, especially my boss. Even the littlest things disappointed her
7) My aunt, whom I haven't seen or talked to in years, was surprised to learn that I wasn't a republican and that I wasn't voting for Mitt Romney. She was fairly disappointed.
Wednesday, September 12, 2012
Homework #2
In modern day society, it is so hard to please everyone. Kathryn Stockett's novel "The Help" gives a perfect example of not being able to live up to everyone's expectations through her two characters Miss Skeeter and her mother Mrs. Phelan. Mrs. Phelan had plans for her daughter: She wanted her daughter to marry young and get a simple job as a secretary or something simpler. She also wanted her daughter to try her hardest to be beautiful by not wearing high heals due to her height and by brushing her hair constantly because of how frizzy it was. Miss Skeeter had other plans. Eugenia wanted to go to college, become a writer, and make something of herself. She graduated from college and applied for many writing jobs as journalists. Her mother was very disappointed at her daughters lack of enthusiasm about getting married or the fact that her daughter doesn't mind dressing on the boyish side. Miss Skeeter's mother constantly brings her down and heckles her to find a man instead of trying to become a writer. Mrs. Phelan is very doubtful of her daughters abilities and tries to make her into a different person. She wants her daughter to live inside what the norm was for women.
In my own life, I have disappointed a few people. Fortunately, my family is very relaxed and are very proud of me no matter what I do, but I have upset a former employer of mine. If you have ever been up to York, Maine, then you must know about the notorious "Goldenrod" restaurant and if not then you are lucky. The Goldenrod is famous for essentially "slave labor on teenagers". It's a very conservative candy store/soda fountain. All the employees wore the same outfits, wore their hair the same way and behaved the exact same way and if an employee didn't follow any rules, or even had the slightest hair out of place, the owner would yell, and I mean YELL, at the employee. It was a very strict atmosphere that I had the "pleasure" of working for. I worked there my junior year of high school. I, personally, am not a conservative or a conservative looking person. For 8 years of my life, I had bright purple hair. I have a few tattoos, piercings and am very open about my opinion. The Goldenrod was definitely not the type of place a person like me was expected to fit into, but I did it anyway because money is money and at the age of 17 I should have had a job. I wore their gross mint green shirt and navy blue waist skirt as well as wear my choppy hair in a tight bun. Each day, I somehow managed to disappoint my employer with the dress code. I either had a strand of hair out of the bun, my shirt wasn't tucked in correctly, or my shoes had a noticeable brand name on them. Even my behavior wasn't acceptable. Of course I tried my hardest to live up to their expectations, but every day I seemed to be doing something wrong. From making a suggestion to the way I counted change. Every day I worked there was a disappointment until finally in the summer before my senior year, I kissed the Goldenrod goodbye and found a job that didn't make me feel like a loser. I will never forget my work experience at the Goldenrod though. On the plus side, every job I'll have will be easier than the Goldenrod.
In my own life, I have disappointed a few people. Fortunately, my family is very relaxed and are very proud of me no matter what I do, but I have upset a former employer of mine. If you have ever been up to York, Maine, then you must know about the notorious "Goldenrod" restaurant and if not then you are lucky. The Goldenrod is famous for essentially "slave labor on teenagers". It's a very conservative candy store/soda fountain. All the employees wore the same outfits, wore their hair the same way and behaved the exact same way and if an employee didn't follow any rules, or even had the slightest hair out of place, the owner would yell, and I mean YELL, at the employee. It was a very strict atmosphere that I had the "pleasure" of working for. I worked there my junior year of high school. I, personally, am not a conservative or a conservative looking person. For 8 years of my life, I had bright purple hair. I have a few tattoos, piercings and am very open about my opinion. The Goldenrod was definitely not the type of place a person like me was expected to fit into, but I did it anyway because money is money and at the age of 17 I should have had a job. I wore their gross mint green shirt and navy blue waist skirt as well as wear my choppy hair in a tight bun. Each day, I somehow managed to disappoint my employer with the dress code. I either had a strand of hair out of the bun, my shirt wasn't tucked in correctly, or my shoes had a noticeable brand name on them. Even my behavior wasn't acceptable. Of course I tried my hardest to live up to their expectations, but every day I seemed to be doing something wrong. From making a suggestion to the way I counted change. Every day I worked there was a disappointment until finally in the summer before my senior year, I kissed the Goldenrod goodbye and found a job that didn't make me feel like a loser. I will never forget my work experience at the Goldenrod though. On the plus side, every job I'll have will be easier than the Goldenrod.
Tuesday, September 11, 2012
Aibileen's Speech
Stockett's character development goes farther than just researching what the times were like in the 60's; Stockett's character development is formed from stereotypes. Stockett's writing made it obvious that Aibileen wasn't very educated. In fact, Stockett said that Aibileen dropped out of high school in the 9th grade to clean houses. Aibileen's speech is very choppy and Stockett gives her a southern drawl. Minny's speech was similar. The way Stockett writes is very stereotypical, although it gave a solid of idea of what the norm was in the 1960's in Mississippi. Of course not every African American back then lived to clean houses and was poorly educated, but through Stockett's writing, it seemed that this was a very common job for black women. It was a time of racism and segregation in the south. Due to some of my knowledge of the south in the 60's, I would also be stereotyping to say that the women didn't have much of an option. It was either clean houses or be poor and on the streets.
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