The Voice for the Unspoken

Alyssa Pedi
English 1101
Professor Young
November 5, 2017


In this life the lesson is trample or be trampled. By speaking up for oneself it helps them to not get lost under the stampede of the world. The only problem is, what happens to those with no voice? What about those being drowned out by the buzz of chaos? This is a prime example of a character named Willa, in Friendswood, by Rene Steinke.

                                                

Unfortunately, the high school sophomore is raped by a senior jock named Cully and his band of cowards. So now I implore you to ask yourself, who should speak for Willa? Who should it be to bring her situation out of the shadows and into the light? With all fingers pointing at her, Willa feels this is her own fault and therefore has lost the ability to defend herself.

                              

This is where I feel it should be Dex, to defend her. I say this because Dex was at the scene at the time of the incident. He knew Willa was upstairs, who she was with, and how intoxicated she was. I would like to believe that he would pull through and play the hero roll, but so far he has let me down. By keeping to himself and not helping Willa, I can only wonder one thing; why? Was it because of his crush on Willa that he was jealous of Cully, or was it the fact that he just blatantly chose to ignore the situation? My opinions and personal character analysis of him lead me to believe he is a good kid, with a good heart, but I believe that he chose to not do the right thing because of his pride and ego. He has always struggled to fit in with the crowd of popular kids and this is where he finds himself in a sticky situation. It would be, "uncool," of him to go upstairs in the first place to rescue Willa, "uncool," of him to confront Cully about what he did and, "uncool," for him to bring what he knows to a higher authority. Overall, Dex is the one who should be helping Willa, but unfortunately he cares more about himself then the life of a girl at this point. Hopefully, his actions change and he realizes his selfishness. In order to do this, he can begin by asking himself, "how can I help?" He needs to find the courage in himself to take the initial first step to save Willa before it is too late.



         

The Necklace

Alyssa Pedi
English 1101
Professor Young
October 3, 2017

Mathilde Loisel was, "one of those pretty and charming girls." The keyword in that phrase is, "was." This keyword comes into play when we discover what her plan of action about the missing necklace is. Was it the right thing for her to conceal the truth about the necklace and cover it up to her friend? I believe that it was not. The story of The Necklace, can be related to a cinderella gone bad story. The poor princess Cinderella, or in this case Mathilde, is overtaken by envy to be beautiful and to live a better life. Her chance of a life time finally arrives when an invitation to a ball is planted at her feet and she just has to go. Unlike Cinderella, Mathilde lost an item priced with much more value, or so she thought; a diamond incrusted necklace. Like a fresh coat of makeup, Madame Loisel decides to hide her imperfection or mistake and decides to replace the necklace. And while her hard work and dedication to paying back the new necklace in full was inspiring to read, she could have saved herself all that trouble by simply telling the truth. If her friend was as good as she was made out to be she would have definitely forgave Madame Loisel. In the following video is a trailer for the short film, The Necklace.

A lesson to be learned from this story is to always tell the truth, no matter what the consequences may be. Growing up in a family of 5, this was always a rule my parents would drill into my brain. It is easier to accept the consequences in the light, than to hide from the truth behind the shadows of a lie. "The truth will set you free," John 8:32. The simplicity of this scenario is that all Mathilde had to do was tell the truth and she would have, "set herself free." Free of the old, worn out woman she had turned herself into after 10 years of slaving away to repay the new necklace. It was very clear that the burden of this lie had destroyed her in physical ways. Although, it seemed to build her up mentally.

Another lesson that can be taken away from The Necklace, is to work hard. "Nothing worth having comes easy." This quote by Theodore Roosevelt relates to Madame Loisel's predicament throughout the story. While Mathilde Loisel did not do the right thing, it is refreshing to be able to witness the soul and hard work she was able to dedicate to the sake of the new necklace. This mistake did seem to build her up mentally though. The reader witnessed as she rolled up her sleeves and got right to it. She seemed to care less about her image and more about working for what she wanted. And although this could have been avoided I feel that this should be somewhat inspiring to women everywhere that while it may seem difficult and tough, it surely is possible.

Red, White and You

Alyssa Pedi
English 1101
Professor Young
September 15, 2017

America the beautiful, and America the free. While it is truly beautiful and free, it does unfortunately have people who do not see it for what it truly is. Former, "star" quarter back, number 7 for the San Francisco 49ers, Colin Kaepernick has taken advantage of our beautiful home. Every single day hundreds of soldiers give their lives for our freedom. They are hundreds and hundreds of miles away from their homes, their families, and the simplicities of life. Kaepernick took it upon himself to perform an act of disrespect during a football game. He did not do the right thing and not stand for the playing of the National Anthem. The song that represents our freedom, and our soldiers. The soldiers who sit dying on piles of dirt in foreign countries while Colin Kaepernick sits comfortably on his big piles of money. Hearing upon this event my stomach turned and my blood boiled. A proud family member and friend of a long line of military officials, I shut off my tv and began to question what I had just seen. Football games are a place for loud cheers, oceans of supporting fans strutting their teams official colors, and greasy snacks. This is not a place for political views from a man who is getting paid to do otherwise. While it is arguable what the right thing to do was, I feel he chose the worst possible action and offended those who "were" fans of his. Featured in this video, Kaepernick takes a knee right behind hundreds of service members being honored on military appreciation night.

 It is hard to comprehend the fact that while my 21 and 24 year old cousins, and my 19 year old best friend are overseas fighting for this beautiful life I am privileged to live, this man can do an action so simple, so vile as to disrespect millions he does not even know.

The process is quite simple, you go to work, do your job, and then you go home. Your home time is where you are free to do whatever you choose. If Kaepernick so pleases to protest and take a stand in his free time that is his god given right, but his timing and location was inappropriate. In my eyes this was the wrong thing to do, and technically he may have had the right to kneel, in my book he had no right. And if he doesn't like these rules then he can pack his bag and move himself somewhere else. Located at every American sporting event, our beautiful flag soars high. Red, white and blue; the three colors that symbolize our country. Red, white and you; the person who should be doing everything in your power to build it up, not tear it down and divide us. The same aspect goes for Michael Bennett; I applaud those individuals who stand up for their rights because I know I would have the courage to do the same. But its when the idea is being shoved down my throat that I have to disagree. Opinions are a wonderful thing and everyone is blessed to be able to voice theirs, so you believe in yours and I will believe in mine and that is exactly how it is supposed to go. There should be no riots, or protests because what I believe does not agree with what you do. This is America the beautiful, and America the free, but it will not be this way for much longer if people continue to take advantage of it.

Do the Right Thing Quotes

Alyssa Pedi
English 1101
Professor Young
September 5 2017

In class we have been discussing Do the Right Thing. It is an eye opening script/movie that tells the story of Mookie, a 24 year old man living in Brooklyn, New York. Along the way we are introduced to the citizens of this town that come to affect the life of our protagonist. Martin Luther King Jr. once said, "... Violence is immoral because it thrives on hatred rather than love. It destroys a community and makes brotherhood impossible. It leaves society in a monologue rather than dialogue. Violence ends by defeating itself. It creates bitterness in the survivors and brutality in the destroyers." This powerful quote can be broken down and connected to our story. To begin the downward spiral, it starts off with defining violence with hatred and love. These are binary terms and can be found scattered throughout Do the Right Thing, and on the knuckles of Radio Raheem. The power that comes from both love and hate destroys the community not only with buildings or items, but with a life in the end. The idea of any type of, "brotherhood," gets demolished because of the tension created by characters Buggin' Out, Radio Raheem, Sal, Pino and Vito. Their arguing and disagreements obliterate any type of bond that could have been formed. Towards the end of our downward spiral, comes the explosion of emotions shown by Mookie and the community. In an act of savagery they loot and burn down Sal's Famous Pizzeria. The only way to end the violence building up within the people was by letting it defeat itself. As for the rest of the story, there was a, "bitter" taste left in the mouths of the survivors, Sal and his family. With their restaurant destroyed and an angry mob surrounding them they had nowhere to turn to except away from it all. The brutality now lies within the community, as a side of them came out they never knew existed. Do the Right Thing, is a true example of what happens when love and hate collide. Both will destroy anything in their paths.