Vulnerable

   

        Everyone, no matter who, has secrets. Sometimes these secrets can include the ugly monster called: abuse. There is no way to tell what a person has gone through based on their appearance or personality. A teacher of mine once said, "Everyone wears an invisible armor and every time they are hurt or abused the armor gets dented. Since that piece of armor can't be seen no one knows how beat up that piece of armor is". The surface mask that people wear covers the hurt that someone has faced. This gives them a sense of power in their lives, but they also do it to cover up what has happened to them because they feel self-blame. However, the forward of The Bluest Eye alludes to the idea that rumors of what Pecola has gone through will circulate throughout the town. Pecola doesn't have the chance to pretend that nothing has happened. While most kids have the ability to pretend to be someone else at school and to act the part of a perfectly happy child, Pecola doesn't have that choice. Child abuse is not a new situation in the daily lives of Americans. In 2012 alone, 3.8 million kids were investigated for maltreatment and 678,810 kids were determined to be victims of abuse or neglect. There was also an average of 31 children a week who died from maltreatment in 2012. This is just plain sad. Even though kids of abuse are told that it is not their fault, most still believe that they are to blame. Since the statistics for abuse is so high it makes me wonder if I know anyone who is abused. I sometimes go down the hallways of my school analyzing people, and trust me-- I know how weird that sounds. However, after my teacher told me about the invisible armor thing I have always wondered how eye opening it would be if we could actually see it. 

Resources: Our Bodies Our Selves. OBOS Violence and Abuse Contributors, 14 Mar. 2005. Web. 25 Oct. 2014.

"Library." National Statistics on Child Abuse and Neglect. Web. 25 Oct. 2014.

Who is the Hero?

           

        Many people are commended for being heroes in times of need, but it is common knowledge that many heroes go unnoticed. The invisible saviors are important in every day life and their actions can change the future in ways that cant be predicted; however, they are usually not given the credit they deserve. Giovanni summons this up perfectly when she says "Harry Potter was just a boy who lived".The reason that Harry lived was because his parents sacrificed themselves to protect their little boy. This would make his parents heroes, but they are not the center of the story. If it weren't for Lily and James Potter than Harry wouldn't have been able to live on and defeat Voldemort. Harry is the hero in the eyes of the people and his parents, in this case, are the invisible heroes. In the case of Frederick Douglass, he is a celebrated hero which is expected due to his work as an abolitionist. Although, in truth, he would never had the chance to learn how to read and write if it weren't for his master's wife, Sophia Auld. She taught him despite the risks and the rules against it. The people, who are brought to mind every time the word hero is mentioned, should be reviewed. They are definitely heroes, but there are most likely unseen people who stood behind the heroes and made them successful. 

 Resources: This Amazing Troubling Book by: Toni Morrison

    "Frederick Douglass." Bio. A&E Television Networks, 2014. Web. 19 Oct. 2014.

The "Helping Hand"

            Police officers are generally thought of as protectors of the people within a nation. In the United States many people have the "just call 911 when you are in danger" thought ingrained in their heads. However, it is questionable to some people the trustworthiness of police officers. This uncertainty ranges from race to race. A survey shows that 59% of white adults have a great deal of confidence in the police, 29% have some confidence, and only 10% have little confidence. On the other hand, the survey shows that 37% of black adults have a great of confidence in the police, 37% have some, and 25% have little or no confidence. The trust in this group of authority figures are different based on the encounters that different people have had with them. Many people believe that police officers are guardians that will even give you directions when you are lost. Others believe that they misuse their authority after occurrence of events like the that happened in St. Louis. The belief in the police also range from country to country. The job of the united states police range from directing traffic to finding a murderer. This increases the trust in the police. In other countries, like Saudi Arabia, the police is thought of as an oppressive force that is not to be reckoned with; they invite fear instead of security. 

Resources:

Mitchell, Bard. "Human Rights in Arab Countries - Discover the Networks." Human Rights in Arab                   Countries - Discover the Networks. 14 Feb. 2005. Web. 11 Oct. 2014.

 Newport, Frank. "Gallup Review: Black and White Attitudes Toward Police." Gallup Review: Black and          White Attitudes Toward Police. 20 Aug. 2014. Web. 11 Oct. 2014.

Rayman, Noah. "St. Louis Police Officer Fatally Shoots Black Man, Sparking Protests." Time. Time, 9             Oct. 2014. Web. 11 Oct. 2014.

Confessions of a Girl

   

          Personally, I have experienced times where I wish I was born a boy and not a girl. I'm sure many girls have had the same thoughts. Boys don't have to worry about getting periods and getting accused of PMSing every time they are being mean. When a girl is pregnant then EVERYONE knows but if a guy knocks up a girl no one can tell. The last time I had a conversation with my friends from my old school they told me that there were four girls pregnant. I knew all four of those girls. However, when I asked who the dads were that is where the stories started to vary. Girls are also judged very hard on their appearances and looks. Guys can say that is not true or they can say that beauty is in the eyes of the beholder; but there is a standard of beauty that can't be denied. Most people can agree when it comes to how pretty a girl is; so I am guessing this means that every beholder has the same pair of eyes. These are only a few reasons why girls feel that being a boy is better. They have always said that the grass is always greener on the other side. Well that applies to boys as well. In talking to some of my guy friends they say that being a guy isn't all that great either. If a boy has a girlfriend then they are always broke. They get compared based on strength and manliness. If a girl cries then they get comforted where as when a boy cries they get told to "man up". There are pros and cons to each gender but I can't say that they are equally as desirable to the opposite sex. I have heard girls say that they wish they were boys but I have never heard a boy say that they wish they were a girl. 

Resources: "Boys Have It So Much Easier: 19 Times Every Girl Wishes She Was A Guy." Elite Daily.            Web. 5 Oct. 2014.
Gregoire, Carolyn. "These 9 Cliches May Sum Up Everything You Need To Know About Life." The                 Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 4 Oct. 2013. Web. 5 Oct. 2014.