Upfront- All By Themselves

The Upfront article quote “All By Themselves” is about what happens to children who illegally cross the border into America. These children are often fleeing from extremely dangerous situations. One of the stories in the article is about a girl who received death threats in her homeland, Guatemala. A smuggler hired to take her north abandoned her, and she attempted to cross the border into the U.S. six times. She was caught on the last attempt and sent to a detention camp on her own. This nineteen-year-old girl, Ana, was granted asylum, however many cases similar to hers will never be approved by the courts because the children are not given public defense lawyers and have no money to pay for their own. These children should be provided lawyers so that they can properly make their case to the court that they should be allowed to stay in the U.S.

Oftentimes, children immigrating to the U.S. have nowhere safe to go and are coming from bad situations. A quote from the article that illustrates this point is, “When Belkis Rivera was six, her mom and brothers fled Honduras to the United States to escape a street gang that had killed her grandmother and her uncle. She was left behind with other family members. But at thirteen, threatened by the same game, Belkis decided to follow, making a terrifying six-month journey across Mexico by herself.” 

This quote illustrates some of the hardships immigrating children face. In the article it also says, “Now she faces one more trauma: America’s judicial system. In the U.S., anyone accused of a crime has the right to a lawyer. But under U.S. immigration law, undocumented immigrants aren’t entitled to a public defender, even when they are minors.” This quote shows how we as a country could be doing more to help these people when they’re in need. By simply providing them with public defense lawyers they would have a chance at being admitted legally. 

Without lawyers, it is almost impossible for these kids to convince courts that they should be allowed to stay in the U.S.  In the article it says, “…40 percent of unaccompanied children potentially qualify for asylum of some other special juvenile-immigrant status because they fear persecution in their home country, or because they were abused or abandoned by a parent. Yet only a tiny fraction ends up winning their cases. Not surprisingly, those with legal representation, the study says, are nearly nine times more likely to win.” There are laws in place to help these children but they cannot take advantage of them without representation. In the article, it also says, “Without a lawyer, she [Ana] would most likely have been deported, like so many others. That could be the fate of Belkis Rivera, who has to return to court in the fall to make her case. Now fifteen, Belkis has an attorney on her side, but still fears deportation to Honduras - and the violence she experienced there.” If they were always granted public lawyers, a higher percentage of these children would be safe and wouldn't have to go back to their starting point.

In conclusion, the U.S. should do everything in its power to make entering this country legally easier to children coming from dangerous places. These children are usually defenseless and often alone or separated from their families. We have laws that help them, but without a lawyer, they cannot successfully navigate the judicial system. Children should be given special consideration because they are unable to support or protect themselves if returned to their home countries. Even if it’s not possible to change the policy that prevents all undocumented immigrants from being provided public defenders, an exception should be made for vulnerable children coming into the U.S. on their own, because they need all the help they can get. 

Romeo and Juliet - Who is to Blame?

Jane Zeman 811

Romeo and Juliet essay

The events that take place in the play, Romeo and Juliet, all lead up to the tragic ending consisting of multiple deaths, including the deaths of Romeo and Juliet. The character that is  mainly responsible for these deaths is Friar Lawrence. After Romeo and Juliet fall in love, Romeo goes to the Friar to marry them and the Friar says yes. The Friar know that this is not socially acceptable as Romeo’s family (the Montagues) and Juliet’s (the Capulets) have a long-standing grudge. If Friar Lawrence had stepped in and ended Romeo and Juliet’s relationship, lives would have been spared.

When Romeo came to the Friar and asked him to marry them the Friar did it because he thought the marriage of Romeo and Juliet would help resolve the grudge between the two groups. The Friar’s intentions were good, in the play it says, “…For this alliance may so happy prove To turn your households’ rancor to pure love.” This quote means that he would marry them if only to end the grudge between the two families. However, by doing so, he put Romeo and Juliet in a bad position with their parents. In the text it says, “Is Roseline,that thou dist love so dear, So soon forsaken? Young men’s love then lies Not truly in their hearts, but in their eyes.” This quote shows that Friar Lawrence doesn't believe that Romeo is acting rationally or responsibly in terms of his desire to get married to Juliet. The Friar should have prevented Romeo from marrying Juliet because he knew that he was not using the best judgement and also because the Friar understood the consequences of marrying them.

After Romeo was exiled for killing Tybalt, a Capulet, Friar Lawrence helped Juliet fake her death so that Romeo could meet her in the cemetery. A number of things could have gone wrong with this plan. In Juliet’s internal monolog, she says, “How if, when when i am laid into the tomb I wake up before that time that Romeo come to redeem me?” This quote shows that Juliet is worried about the possible consequences of taking the poison the Friar gave her. Both of them know that there are many things that could go wrong with this plan. Also in Juliet’ monologue she says, “What if it be a poison which the Friar Subtly hath ministered to have me dead, Lest is this marriage he should be dishonored Because he married me before to Romeo?” This quote shows that Juliet is doubting that Friar Lawrence did the right thing by marrying them and is wondering if the Friar would take action to cover up his mistake.

In conclusion, the deaths of Romeo and Juliet could have been avoided if Friar Lawrence had refused to marry them or if he had put a stop to their relationship after Romeo had been exiled. Both the Friar and Juliet had doubts about the safety of their relationship at times in the play. While Romeo and Juliet should have been expected to behave as adolescents, without fully developed judgement skills, Friar Lawrence was an adult and knew exactly what he was doing. Friar Lawrence should have been the responsible one in the situation and persuaded Romeo to forget Juliet the first time she was mentioned. This point illustrates the fact that peoples’ judgement can sometimes become clouded and that they make bad decisions in situations like the one shown in the play.

Book Banning Argument Essay

Dear Ms. Berner,

Sixth graders should be allowed to read whatever they want because books about real issues help kids deal with problems in their lives. This is an important topic because without these books students could feel alone or lost, and try to solve their problems in ways that are harmful to themselves or others.  Middle school students in tough situations need these Y.A. books to guide them through. Some people believe these books hurt kids, but I believe that it should be up to the child and their family to decide whether or not the book is appropriate.

Y.A. books help kids in tough situations deal with them in the best way possible. In his anti-book banning article, ‘Why The Best Kids Books Are Written In Blood,’ Sherman Alexi writes “I read books about monsters and monstrous things, often written with monstrous language because they taught me how to battle the real monsters in my life.” A book can be something for a kid to look up to when they don’t have anyone else to look up to in their lives.  Another writer who agrees with this is Ellen Hopkins, who described one of her book readings after which a girl who had struggled with addiction approached Hopkins and told her how much her books helped her. “She saw herself in those pages and suddenly knew she didn’t want to be there. That book turned her around. Today she’s been sober about two years…” This shows how these dark, intense books help kids deal with the challenges in their lives.

Some people believe these intense and descriptive YA books traumatize kids.  One of these people is Megan Cox Gurdon.  In her article, “Darkness Too Visible,” she says “…Books focusing on pathologies help normalize them and, in the case of self harm, may even spread their plausibility and likelihood to young people who might otherwise never have imagined such extreme measures.”  These books do introduce some kids to tough subjects, but it is necessary for kids to understand these subjects so that they can defend against them. Maureen Johnson for the Guardian says, “If subjects like these are in YA books, it's to show that they are real, they have happened to others, and they can be survived. For teenagers, there is sometimes no message more critical than: you are not alone. This has happened before. The feeling that you are feeling, the thing you are going through – it is a known thing.” Kids need to be told that they are not the only person in the world with the problem they are facing. Sometimes Y.A. books are the only things that can deliver this message.

Another problem some people have with YA books is that they find them offensive.  Diana Verm and her father Alton Verm, of Montgomery County, Texas, were offended by the content of Fahrenheit 451.  She didn’t want to read a book with “cussing” and bible burning.  In my opinion, while these books can be offensive and difficult, it should not be one person or small group of people that decides whether or not everyone is allowed to read a book. Bill Moyers said, “Some of the most inspiring and mind-opening words ever written are threatened with removal because they offended a self-deputized vigilante who wants to deny an entire community’s curiosity and passion to learn.” This quote supports my claim that sixth graders should be allowed to read whatever they and their parents choose and that it should not be one person’s decision that decides it for everyone.

Books should not be banned from our school library because kids and their parents should be able to decide what they are mature enough to read.  Y.A., books can help kids avoid dangerous situations and can even save lives. Everyone should have the choice to not read something if they don’t want to, but we shouldn’t allow our decisions about what we read to be made for us.