Story Of My Life

The dream of success all started with my birth... May 11, 1992 in a place that may be familiar to many of you, "Dominican Republic". I moved at the age of 3 to the city where my parents believed to never struggle a day in there life, "New york City". They were wrong you know, life is as hard here as in any other place. In D.R life was simple and there wasn't  a thing to worry about accept for a way out. This way out was through education.<----(Why is this important). I currently live in New York, Manhattan and cant stand the city. If i had to choose as a child to never come to New York, i would probably not know English and would of definitely never made it this far in my education. Therefor i thank my parents for risking everything they had for me, because in a long run i will succeed.

Main idea red records

 In the book A Red Record by Ida B. Wells, discusses the main idea of lynching through key terms such as Constitutional equality, Indignation, and Negro Domination. Wells talks about Constitutional equality to show that no matter what color we are the constitution is there to protect our rights. Indignation is stated when referring to the anger felt because of the unfair treatment. Negro domination is referring to the fear of African American some day becoming dominant in society.

The lynching contradiction

Colored people were being deterred from being with white women through lynching. White people knew that lynching wasn’t stopping colored people from sleeping with their women and continued any ways. Little did they know, colored people weren’t the only ones playing a part in this, the women also played a part. White women were attracted to colored people. The law was so strict that nothing could be done about this accept keep things a secret and if caught, they would say it was rape. There for I believe that white people contradicted lynching because it wasn’t done to stop the colored people from sleeping with their women as they believed. It clearly showed that it wouldn’t stop from happening no matter what was done to their race. Lynching was done for other personal reasons other then trying to be heard. 

Human rights

To me human rights is the basic rights and freedoms that all people are entitled to.In the book I would like to contribute some art work that I hope to work on. I would draw something in connect to slavery. In other words I would draw a man chained up to show that he was mistreated.

The Contradiction In Banneker's Letter

Around the time of Benjamin’s Banneker’s letter to Thomas Jefferson, a race such as Banneker’s was considered a brute. In 1791 this was a contradiction because Benjamin’s states “afforded the same sensation and endowed us all with the same faculties” (Banneker1). In other words every being was created with the same endowments. Therefore if African Americans where brutes, that would only mean every other race are to. Back in those times I'm sure it was controversial as to whether or not African Americans were brutes, and not considered the same as every one else like those who had enslaved/ mistreated them.

jcr

                                                            The Fear

The most important emotional knowledge communicated by slaves is fear/exhaustion. This can drive a slave to fight for what is right. In this case they are fighting for their lives. I believe a life without freedom isn’t a life worth living. Therefor desperate times call for desperate measures. When captured and put to work as a slave you will feel powerless, knowing that there is so many of them and only one of you. This can cause you to not care about anything because you have nothing more to lose. If you don’t try something you might as well be considered dead, if you are not living the way you want to.  The works of literature that best explains my arguments are From The Interesting Narrative Of The Life Of Olaudah Equiano by Anonymous, Benjamin Banneker’s letter to Thomas Jefferson by Benjamin Banneker, and When I Was A Slave by Anonymous.

“From The Interesting Narrative Of The Life Of Olaudah Equiano” there is a lot of exhaustion surfacing in this topic. Equiano once was a slave who lost every thing. He was taken from his village at the age of 11. Can you imagine losing your family as a child in a young age? I could only imagine the worst…its very frightening having to wake up every morning, only to find out it wasn’t a dream.  His rights were taken from him and all the odds seem to be against him and yet he still has hope of some day getting home. I believe he knows little of how freedom feels because when he escaped, he was panicking even though he knew he was free. It was as if that feeling of freedom was new to him, I guess the thought of being caught again tormented him inside. Being that he is far away from his home he turned right back into the hands of the people who mistreated him.  Yet this exhausting struggle is the reason why he plans for a brighter day.

In Benjamin Banneker’s letter to Thomas Jefferson, you can understand that it wasn’t just written for awareness but because he is tired of his race being labeled as creatures far lesser than man and species incapable of mental endowments. He is done with his kind being considered more like pets then as beings. Benjamin is fed up; he has had enough of the mistreatment of his race, which has long labored under the abuse. This letter is made to expresses the way he feels about slavery and how the world is against those of his complexion. In an educated yet respectful manner Benjamin states that he feels the president, Thomas Jefferson has chosen the wrong path and some how shows that he is much more of a man than he will ever be. In this letter you are also able to conclude that this man is a very religious man; in fact I believe he practices monotheism. I know this because he states “that one universal Father hath given being to us all” ("Banneker’s letter"). In other words, he feels every being is somehow related and have connection to this universal father and can’t quite understand why we are hurting family.

In the text “when I was a slave” slaves really didn’t fear much accept for starving. Mary Anderson was a slave who lived in a house called quarters with others like her. Quarters are the special names given to homes that usually had two rooms for the slaves. Though the slaves lived a some what comfortable life, they thought they wanted something that was taken from them “freedom”. Mary explains how they were finally freed at one point. The slaves celebrated, and couldn’t believe that they were no longer owned. They were waiting for this moment for a long time and when it finally came they thought this was the best thing that had ever happened to them. Slaves were set free, and none of them were really seen again. Those of them who have been seen are because they came back to their master. Most of them where wrong, and they wanted to go back to their masters. Life just wasn’t the same out in the real world. They were afraid, and when their master came back for them Mary Anderson stated, “Some were glad to get back they cried” (Yetman4). It was scary out there, they were rambling around with hunger and as slaves they didn’t have a hunger problem because they were given food and shelter. They found the world to be far crueler then being owned. Life in a world where no one looks out for you or feeds you. This was the least of their worries. Most of them didn’t have a place to go back to. In other words the slaves grew tired of barley surviving. They were exhausted of having days where they had absolutely nothing to eat. Slaves were overwhelmed to find out that the life they have nearly dreamed about for all their lives was much more of a struggle then being treated as an animal. Outside the doors of their masters they lived as animals/savages trying to survive day in and day out.

It’s hard to believe a world such as the one stated in my essay ever existed. Sometimes I find myself asking if these people ever questioned them selves, and put them in such a position. If so, did they have any remorse?  Benjamin states that, “we have long been considered rather as brutish than as human”. How dare these people consider Benjamin’s race animals when in reality it is them who are the animals. Such mistreatment; would only be done by animals. Olaudah Equiano states “they have been implanted in with great care, and made an impression on my mind, which time could not erase.” No matter how young he was or how bad he was mistreated the good memories will always overcome the bad.  I am glad the world has come a long way since 1791. Life isn’t easy, and their life wasn’t easier. In other words, close your eyes and try to imagine yourself in their shoes and walk in it for a while.

Who coined that??

"I can say nothing and make it sound like something." - Nicki Minaj

Minaj- is a made up American-English term referring to a woman who fantasizes about women, this word was coined by a famous rapper that goes by the name of “Nicki Minaj”

-I wouldn’t  mind having a minaj, as long as she includes me in her fantasy. 

Bullying

#1.I believe the aurthor uses the word drama instead of the word bullying because doing somthing as to taking your life is not considered bullying because there are other things to be done to avoid the bullying.

#2.

#3. I have seen a girl get teased in a disempowering way about being with more than 3 guys, and she was considered a "HOE". This girl couldnt take it any more to the point where she had to transfer schools.

Twitter

www.twitter.com/#!/joelspolanco

MY NAME.. IPA

JOEL in International Phonetic Alphabet- dʒoəl

"Jo" has the onset of a voiced lingua-alveolar consonant and a low back vowel 

"el" has a voiced central vowel and a lingua-alveolar consonant, 

I would rather have my name pronounced as "dʒoɛl"

"Violated"

A man “Robert Jordan” was offended at work because of a racial slur that was said at his work place. The white co-worker loudly described a pair of crime suspects as "two black monkeys in a cage." Mr. Jordan was fired for standing up for what he believed to be wrong. He went to the Supreme Court and they refused to put stricter limits on racial slurs in the workplace. Its crazy how people have been fighting all their lives for freedom and equality, yet no one is really free or equal. These same people are the cause on why this world would never be a utopia. Language is a gift that we are ungrateful for and take for granted. It shouldn’t be use to hurt peoples feeling’s, instead it should be used to express “our” feelings. People around the world have been victims of being mistreated. The reason I say mistreated is because the foul words that are being put together in languages can hurt. In this situation I wouldn’t say I seen it all, but I would have to say I heard it all. I have heard people call each other names such as cracker, nigger, and spic. We are so close to a perfect world yet it seems so far. If we can learn to accept everyone in this world, I believe there would be nothing too far from reach for us as one in “Unity”. 

JRC Assignment #1

The most important emotional knowledge communicated by slaves is fear. This can place a slave in a paralyzing moment. I believe this because a life without freedom isn’t a life worth living. Therefor desperate times call for desperate measures. When captured and put to work as a slave you will feel powerless, knowing that there is so many of them and only one of you. This shock can cause you to not care about anything because you have nothing more to loose. If you don’t try something you might as well be considered dead, if your not living the way you want.

“From The Interesting Narrative Of The Life Of Olaudah Equiano” Equiano is a character who looses everything and is taken from his village at the age of 11. His rights were taken from him and all the odds seem to be against him and yet he still has hope of some day getting home. I believe he knows little of how freedom feels because when he escaped, he was panicking even though he new he was free. It was as if that feeling of freedom was new to him, I guess the thought of being caught again tormented him inside. Being that he is far away from his home he turned right back into the hands of the people who mistreated him.

In Benjamin Banneker’s letter to Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin expresses the way he feels about slavery and how the world is against those of his complexion. In an educated yet respectful manner Benjamin states that he feels the president, Thomas Jefferson has chosen the wrong path and some how shows that he is much more of a man than he will ever be. He feels he has had enough of the mistreatment of his race, which has long labored under the abuse. This man is very religious; in fact I believe he practices monotheism. I know this because he states “that one universal Father hath given being to us all”("Banneker' s letter"). In other words, he feels every being is some how related and have connection to this universal father and cant quite understand why we are hurting family.

It’s hard to believe a world such as the one stated in my essay ever existed. Sometimes I find myself asking if these people ever questioned them selves, and put them selves in the slave’s position. If so, did they have any remorse?  Benjamin states that, “we have long been considered rather as brutish than as human”. How dare these people consider Benjamin’s race animals when in reality it is them, who are the animals. Such mistreatment; would only be done by animals. I am glad the world has come a long way since 1791. Life isn’t easy, and their life wasn’t easier. In other words, close your eyes, put your self in their shoes and walk in it for a while.

My Story Behind Language

What are words? Well fact is that words are a combination of sounds given by a language to form a meaning. Words are so powerful, for example many words such as “Nigger” and “Spic” are words that should never be used to hurt anyone’s feeling. These words can remind a person of a time where their human rights was taken from them. We should also be thankful for the opportunity we are given such as a language. Without a language we know nothing about others. In other words, through language we can express our inner darkest secret with others. Can you picture a world with no language and, trying to explain what you’re feeling? It’s like trying to play a game of charades. Thanks to languages we are able to express anything in words.

America is filled with different type of ethnicities, and many languages. I’m here to talk about how I was introduced to Spanish and English. It all began with my birth in Dominican Republic. Even though I don’t recall how I came to know how speak Spanish, because most things as a child are somewhat blurry to me. I do know that it being my first language, I didn’t have problems learning it. As a newborn the world is a playground and it was only right for me to learn how to play in it. In other words, my brain was empty and I filled it with information. My brain acted as a sponge, it soaked up every information I was introduced to. A sponge can only hold so much liquid, until it is unable to soak up any more because it is full. The younger you are the better it’s to soaks up information.   

            I remember moving to America at the age of 3, I was young yet everything was so clear to me. I was signed up for a daycare because both of my parents where unable to look after me since they both had jobs. In this daycare I met kids who spoke English. A came home from that daycare everyday trying to speak English, and my parents where quit amused with the way I would go around the apartment saying words out loud that made no since to me what so ever. Little did I know that this language was going to be the reason why, I was given the opportunity to attend College.

            Knowing a language is only one step to being successful, next step is educating your self to a position where you can intimidate others in conversations. No one will ever take advantage of someone who can express him or her selves in a respectable way. Therefor languages are the #1 key to success.

JRC

http://jrcamerights.blogspot.com/

hw

http://ell101fall2011.blogspot.com/

THE REFLECTION

college is not what i expected, theres really no fooling around here. its eigther you want to be here or not, because everyone else is to bussy trying to make somthing out of there lives. In high school if you fooled around it was ok and funny and now its just imature of you. I NOE DIS HAS NOTHIN TO DO WIT DA CLUSTER -_-. This cluster is alright becuase you can get to know your class better and form a friendship that would take a long time to form with both the students and the teachers. Still confused about raising my hand in class.

The language of human rights is not cool, im lieing ^_^ its intresting because before this cluster i didnt really care about languages or rights. im understanding the way this government system of ours works and revolves around us.