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. 

Should A Hated Word Be Banned?

Upfront’s article, “Should a Hated Word Be Banned?” is about a proposal in Israel’s Parliament to make it illegal to say the word ‘Nazi’ in casual conversation. Supporters of this law want it to be passed because they consider it disturbing and disrespectful to the history involved with this word. Many teens use it regularly when describing someone strict or hash. Some people think it shouldn't be passed because it infringes on the right to free speech.in my opinion, it shouldn't be passed because everyone should always have a right to say anything no matter who it might offend.

This law should not be passed. For one thing, denying the right of the people to say a word is only one step away from denying the peoples’ right to talk openly about controversial ideas. People need to have the right to express all their ideas or opinions openly and publicly. If this right is taken away the government gains more control over the people. If the government makes it against the law to speak out peacefully against the government, they can then get away with doing things people should be speaking out against or simply expressing their opinions on. This is why free speech is necessary and why and why any infringement upon this right is extremely dangerous.

On the other hand, using the word ‘Nazi’ as it is used today in regular conversation can be considered excessive and inappropriate. The Holocaust was undisputedly a horrific event in our history. Using words relating to it so casually is offensive to some people. However, the safety of our rights is more important than whether or not someone is made uncomfortable by the use of a certain word. Amir Fuchs said, “You measure the freedom of speech in a democratic country in the freedom to say these disturbing and annoying things, not in what is nice and pleasant to hear.

In conclusion, this law should not be passed just because people are offended by a certain word. it is an infringement on the peoples’ right to speak freely. Without the right to protest against the government, the people have hardly any power without taking illegal action. In the past, death and struggle have followed countries with the right to free speech. 

Where is the Power in Allegiant?

          Allegiant is the third book in the Divergent trilogy. the main characters are Tris and Tobias, two teenagers who formerly lived in a futuristic and isolated Chicago. They escaped from this corrupted, violent and warring city only to find that the rest of the world was just as corrupted and violent. It is ruled by people who oppress their enemies by discriminating against people with "damaged genes." These leaders think they have all the power.  Tris, Tobias, their friends from the city, and their new genetically damaged allies have more power than the leaders realize. Even though their numbers small, they can accomplish amazing things.

          The  government leaders in the outside world have a tight hold on their people. They keep control of the "damaged" people by keeping them poor. They control the people in cities like Tris' and Tobias's by watching through security cameras and in introducing drugs that cause memory loss and even death when things get out of hand. These cities were experiments trying to weed out the genetically pure people from the more common genetically damaged people . They also control the genetically pure people who have allied with the leaders and their causes by feeding them false or twisted information. If everyone access to all of the pure, true facts then people would be able to decide for themselves what they believed without someone influencing their decisions.

         Tris, Tobias, and their friends try to take some of the power away from these leaders. They use different elements to attack the system from within. Tris goes in as a spy, pretending to be interested in getting a job in the council and others attempt to use the memory erasing drug against everyone with prejudice twoards the genetically damage to people. They are able to use their determination, intelligence, and strength against the most powerful people they have ever encountered.

         The story starts out with these leaders holding all of the power but it is threatened to be taken away from them by Tris and Tobias. This book teaches that you don't need to be numerous or start out with power to make a change in the world. I don't agree with all of the methods used to dethrone the government and I hope that our country is never in the position of needing that kind of fixing. Another constant theme throughout the story is information - or lack of. It shows that information is power and that if you control the information you control the people. It is unjust to keep people misinformed and supporting a cause they don't understand.

P.O.V.s in 15 Seconds

The book 15 seconds by Andrew Gross is about what happens when a highly respected surgeon is framed for double homicide. He gets arrested for a small traffic violation but as he is being released, a blue van pulls up and someone inside shoots the cop. After that the surgeon, Dr. Steadman, goes to his friend's house for help but find him dead. He gets a call saying that if he gets caught out turns himself in, the person in the can will kill his daughter. The reader knows the perspectives of Dr. Steadman and the local police, via officer Carrie Holmes. The only point of view the reader doesn't understand that of the murderer in the blue van.
The reader does not know what the person's motive is. Why did they choose Dr. Steadman to read frame? What do they want from him? My only idea is that the murderer is trying to get revenge. Steadman is a plastic surgeon, so maybe there was a failed surgery and someone wants revenge. the story would be very different if the murderer's point of view was included.
If the the story was written from the murderer's point of view the book wouldn't be a mystery. The questions wouldn't be Why?, but How? How will Steadman escape? Our maybe even, how will the murderer get what he wants? The fact that the point of view of the police is included makes the story much more interesting, especially because it was a cop that was murdered .
 In conclusion, the author uses different perspectives to shape the story. In real life situations similar to this one, not everyone gets to tell their side of the story. Many people and groups never get their voices heard. Besides people, nature and animals are unable to speak up for themselves. We need to stand up for these people and help them get their voices heard.

Teens on Television Entry

Teens on T.V.

I grew up on Star Trek and Wallace and Gromit. My nine-year-old sister is growing up on shows like Victorious, iCarly, and The Zac and Cody Show. This type of TV portrays teenagers as rich, white, and popular. I can’t think of one popular “teen” show with a main character who is a minority race, struggling with financial issues, or awkward and friendless. At least, these are the shows designed to be relatable for teenagers, but whose actual audience is my nine-year-old sister and her friends. I guess it makes her feel cool and grown-up when she can understand what those fake teenagers are talking about. These shows give her an image of what kids and teens are supposed to look like and do.  This image is not designed to show my sister how to be a better person, and how not to be influenced by the crowd. They are simply trying to attract young, impressionable minds, and win over kids so that they want to buy their shows.

Another thing I don’t like about these shows is that the families are always the same. The dad is always quirky and annoying, while the mom is bland and pushy. There’s also usually an irritating younger sibling to add drama. The only exception to these rules is iCarly. She has an older brother who takes care of her because her dad is overseas and her mom is absent. Also, her brother is never shown working, but they can somehow afford to live in a Seattle loft. This scenario is totally unrealistic and does not truly represent teens’ lives.

Another misleading thing about this type of TV is the issues the characters are dealing with. The main characters are never worried about the environment, their education, or anything significant. They are usually worried about whether or not they are going to get a part in the school play or if they are going to get asked to the prom. These issues are not designed to help kids deal with tough situations they are dealing with; they are simply designed to attract an audience and make money. The issues described in these shows are not issues that my nine-year-old sister should have to think about or act upon.

In a perfect world, kids would watch shows that would stimulate their creativity and thought as well as giving them an image of intelligence and independence to look up to. The shows I loved as a kid may not have lived up to this standard, but at least they made me think. They were imaginative and interesting. If I had watched different, more conventional shows, I think I would be a very different person than I am today.