1. Put yourself in place of one of the boys who escaped the crash but was forced to watch "helplessly as Rob died." What is going through your head? How do you feel physically and mentally? How do you think that you will feel tomorrow?
-If I happened to be one of the boys who escaped from the car whenever it crashed, I would hurt physically and mentally. I know my stomach would be in knots and I would feel like someone was stabbing me. If I had a hard time getting out of the car I would also physically hurt from that . Mentally, I would be a mess. I would probably feel like it was my own fault. I would feel horible about the fact that there is nothing I could do. I would also feel horible because I was able to escape but he wasn't. Tomorrow, I would even feel worse. I would feel like I caused something that could be avoided and that didn't need to happen. I would feel helpless and I would wish I was the one that couldn't escape instead of Rob.
2. When you hear or read of a car accident that involved teenagers, what do you tend to assume was the cause of the accident? What about if you hear about an accident involving the elderly? Explain your answers.
-When I hear about a car accident that involved teenagers, i usually assume that drugs or alcohol were a cause. Teenagers go to parties, get drunk or high, and then try and drive home. Teenagers like riding around in cars even if they don't have a place to go whenever they are "messed up" too. Many people fall asleep when high and driving so that could also be a reason. Racing with a friend for fun in a car is also something that comes to mind. When I hear about a car accident that involved the elderly, I usually assume that they got confused. I guess this is just assumed because they are older and it's easy to mix things and directions up. I wouldn't assume any alcohol or drugs were involved in that case.
4. In a paragraph rich with sensory detail, write about your own most frightening moment.
-My most frightening moment consists of a phone call. I went out to eat, and my sister called my cellphone. As soon as I answered I could hear her crying. I kept asking her what was going on, but she was too upset to give me an answer. I gave the phone to my mom, and she tried to calm Ashley down. Whenever my mom could finally make out what my sister was saying, she dropped the phone onto the ground and grabbed me. I was then informed that my real dad had killed my aunt. My knees buckled and my mom caught me before I could fall. All I could do was cry, and I blamed myself for the longest time. To this day, I'm still not sure why it had to happen, but I probably won't ever know the reason for it.
5. Although many people did cry, Rhonda did not cry after the accident occured; she was angry. When or if a public tragedy occurs and it is not someone in your immediate family (9/11/01), how do you respond? Explain.
-When i public tragedy occurs and it isn't someone in my immediate family i would still be upset if it involved friends or their families. If I didn't know any of these people I would feel bad, but I wouldn't cry. I don't get affected by things that don't mean alot to me, as in this case. I would talk to people that did have family or friends in the tragedy, and i would give them my sympathy, but I wouldn't be as affected.
6. One Herald editorial says that statistics don't usually "mean much, but this statistic (Rob) had a name, face,..." Do you agree that it is hard to feel emotional about the statistics when you do not have a face to relate them to?
-I do feel that it is hard to feel emotion about the statistics when you do not have a face to relate them to. Whenever you hear about someone overdosing, maybe people would be upset because of the fact, but I do get emotional over things like that because of things that have happened in my family. If someone lost a family member or someone that was close to them you would feel more emotional if you had already lost someone you loved. It makes it easier to relate to what's going on if something like that has happened to you or your family.
7. In his homework assigment, Gerald writes that he would rid the world of 3 things. What 3 things would you rid the world of? Stick
to concrete items, and back up your choices with personal reasons why you are eliminating them.
-If i could get rid of three things in this world they would be age, adoption, and meth.(These aren't really all concrete, but I feel that this is what needs to be rid of.)
I picked age because to me it's just a number. The top thing that gets on my nerves, is being compared because of age. Some adults think that just because you aren't as old as them you don't know anything. They also think that you should be a certain age to do anything. I think whenever you prove you can make decisions on your own, you should be able to, not wait until your 18.
Next, I picked adoption because I know what it's like and i don't think anyone should have to go through it. In my opinion you should be able to live with someone and they can take care of you, and you not have to call them mom and dad. It makes you feel like your chosing them over your real parents, and I don't know about anyone else, but I will always hold that agaisnt my adopted parents.
Last I picked meth. It seems like a reasonable choice for many, but I have my own personal reasons. Meth has torn my family apart more than anyone couldd imagine. I've seen it hurt many people, and I truley feel sorry for anyone that has to go through anything like that. Meth makes people do things you could never imagine. It ruins lives. It brings everyone against eachother. And you can never go back to the way things were before meth came along.
This is why i would get rid of age, adoption, and meth.
8. Neither of Andy's parents bother to show up for the game. How important is it for you that your parents turn out for the events in which you participate? Explain.
-When I was younger it was extremely important that not only my parents but my whole family was there for me at events I participated in. Now that I'm older I like doing my own thing, and I actually hate whenever my parents are around. I'm not close with either of my parents, biological or adopted, and I don't like them around when I'm doing things with my friends. Activities that I'm in I would rather just my friends and classmates be there. Whenever my parents are there I feel like they are fighting over who means more to me. I would just rather be on my own at events.
10. Andy mentions that some kids at school haven't looked him in the face since the acident;one even taped a mean note to is locker. How would you treat Andy now? Elaborate.
-I wouldn't treat Andy bad in anyway. It wasn't exactly his fault that he crashed. It could of happened to anyone. I would be nice to him, and stick up for him any chance I could. I would offer to talk to him about things, and I would be there for him to talk to. If anything I would treat him better than I did before. I know what it's like to have many people blame you for doing something you couldn't help, so I wouldn't blame him. It wouldn't be fair if I did.
12. Do you feel that your parents 'get' you or don't understand you at all? What makes you think this? Explain.
-I know for a fact that my parents don't 'get' me. I'm adopted, so I have a total of 4, and even if they combined everything they know about me, they wouldn't have the slightest idea of what I'm like. My real dad isn't in the picture, atleast I try to push him out of it, and my real mom doesn't even know my name half the time. My adopted dad tries, but he can't hear very well, and he really just doesn't talk. In his eyes, I'm still the perfect little girl he wants me to be. My adopted mom? We don't really get along. We're practically from two different worlds. We don't see anything the same. We can never agree on a single thing. She doesn't take the time to get to know me, and if she did, I know she wouldn't accept how I am. She wants me to be a certain way, and I'm never going to be like that. I like how I am, and I'm not going to change for anyone else. This is why, I'm sure my parents don't 'get' me .
16. Andy envisions that Monty will have a future as a lawyer or a doctor. But when he thinks of his own future, he sees a blank or darkness. Can you picture who you will be in 15 years? What do you envision for your future?
-In 15 years I would be 29 years old. By then I would hope to have graduated and become a OB/GYN nurse. I would hope to be settled in to a house I'd want to be in for awhile and to have children of my own. This is what I think my future would be like in 15 years.
1. Put yourself in place of one of the boys who escaped the crash but was forced to watch "helplessly as Rob died." What is going through your head? How do you feel physically and mentally? How do you think that you will feel tomorrow?
-If I happened to be one of the boys who escaped from the car whenever it crashed, I would hurt physically and mentally. I know my stomach would be in knots and I would feel like someone was stabbing me. If I had a hard time getting out of the car I would also physically hurt from that . Mentally, I would be a mess. I would probably feel like it was my own fault. I would feel horible about the fact that there is nothing I could do. I would also feel horible because I was able to escape but he wasn't. Tomorrow, I would even feel worse. I would feel like I caused something that could be avoided and that didn't need to happen. I would feel helpless and I would wish I was the one that couldn't escape instead of Rob.
2. When you hear or read of a car accident that involved teenagers, what do you tend to assume was the cause of the accident? What about if you hear about an accident involving the elderly? Explain your answers.
-When I hear about a car accident that involved teenagers, i usually assume that drugs or alcohol were a cause. Teenagers go to parties, get drunk or high, and then try and drive home. Teenagers like riding around in cars even if they don't have a place to go whenever they are "messed up" too. Many people fall asleep when high and driving so that could also be a reason. Racing with a friend for fun in a car is also something that comes to mind. When I hear about a car accident that involved the elderly, I usually assume that they got confused. I guess this is just assumed because they are older and it's easy to mix things and directions up. I wouldn't assume any alcohol or drugs were involved in that case.
4. In a paragraph rich with sensory detail, write about your own most frightening moment.
-My most frightening moment consists of a phone call. I went out to eat, and my sister called my cellphone. As soon as I answered I could hear her crying. I kept asking her what was going on, but she was too upset to give me an answer. I gave the phone to my mom, and she tried to calm Ashley down. Whenever my mom could finally make out what my sister was saying, she dropped the phone onto the ground and grabbed me. I was then informed that my real dad had killed my aunt. My knees buckled and my mom caught me before I could fall. All I could do was cry, and I blamed myself for the longest time. To this day, I'm still not sure why it had to happen, but I probably won't ever know the reason for it.
5. Although many people did cry, Rhonda did not cry after the accident occured; she was angry. When or if a public tragedy occurs and it is not someone in your immediate family (9/11/01), how do you respond? Explain.
-When i public tragedy occurs and it isn't someone in my immediate family i would still be upset if it involved friends or their families. If I didn't know any of these people I would feel bad, but I wouldn't cry. I don't get affected by things that don't mean alot to me, as in this case. I would talk to people that did have family or friends in the tragedy, and i would give them my sympathy, but I wouldn't be as affected.
6. One Herald editorial says that statistics don't usually "mean much, but this statistic (Rob) had a name, face,..." Do you agree that it is hard to feel emotional about the statistics when you do not have a face to relate them to?
-I do feel that it is hard to feel emotion about the statistics when you do not have a face to relate them to. Whenever you hear about someone overdosing, maybe people would be upset because of the fact, but I do get emotional over things like that because of things that have happened in my family. If someone lost a family member or someone that was close to them you would feel more emotional if you had already lost someone you loved. It makes it easier to relate to what's going on if something like that has happened to you or your family.
7. In his homework assigment, Gerald writes that he would rid the world of 3 things. What 3 things would you rid the world of? Stick
to concrete items, and back up your choices with personal reasons why you are eliminating them.
-If i could get rid of three things in this world they would be age, adoption, and meth.(These aren't really all concrete, but I feel that this is what needs to be rid of.)
I picked age because to me it's just a number. The top thing that gets on my nerves, is being compared because of age. Some adults think that just because you aren't as old as them you don't know anything. They also think that you should be a certain age to do anything. I think whenever you prove you can make decisions on your own, you should be able to, not wait until your 18.
Next, I picked adoption because I know what it's like and i don't think anyone should have to go through it. In my opinion you should be able to live with someone and they can take care of you, and you not have to call them mom and dad. It makes you feel like your chosing them over your real parents, and I don't know about anyone else, but I will always hold that agaisnt my adopted parents.
Last I picked meth. It seems like a reasonable choice for many, but I have my own personal reasons. Meth has torn my family apart more than anyone couldd imagine. I've seen it hurt many people, and I truley feel sorry for anyone that has to go through anything like that. Meth makes people do things you could never imagine. It ruins lives. It brings everyone against eachother. And you can never go back to the way things were before meth came along.
This is why i would get rid of age, adoption, and meth.
8. Neither of Andy's parents bother to show up for the game. How important is it for you that your parents turn out for the events in which you participate? Explain.
-When I was younger it was extremely important that not only my parents but my whole family was there for me at events I participated in. Now that I'm older I like doing my own thing, and I actually hate whenever my parents are around. I'm not close with either of my parents, biological or adopted, and I don't like them around when I'm doing things with my friends. Activities that I'm in I would rather just my friends and classmates be there. Whenever my parents are there I feel like they are fighting over who means more to me. I would just rather be on my own at events.
10. Andy mentions that some kids at school haven't looked him in the face since the acident;one even taped a mean note to is locker. How would you treat Andy now? Elaborate.
-I wouldn't treat Andy bad in anyway. It wasn't exactly his fault that he crashed. It could of happened to anyone. I would be nice to him, and stick up for him any chance I could. I would offer to talk to him about things, and I would be there for him to talk to. If anything I would treat him better than I did before. I know what it's like to have many people blame you for doing something you couldn't help, so I wouldn't blame him. It wouldn't be fair if I did.
12. Do you feel that your parents 'get' you or don't understand you at all? What makes you think this? Explain.
-I know for a fact that my parents don't 'get' me. I'm adopted, so I have a total of 4, and even if they combined everything they know about me, they wouldn't have the slightest idea of what I'm like. My real dad isn't in the picture, atleast I try to push him out of it, and my real mom doesn't even know my name half the time. My adopted dad tries, but he can't hear very well, and he really just doesn't talk. In his eyes, I'm still the perfect little girl he wants me to be. My adopted mom? We don't really get along. We're practically from two different worlds. We don't see anything the same. We can never agree on a single thing. She doesn't take the time to get to know me, and if she did, I know she wouldn't accept how I am. She wants me to be a certain way, and I'm never going to be like that. I like how I am, and I'm not going to change for anyone else. This is why, I'm sure my parents don't 'get' me .
16. Andy envisions that Monty will have a future as a lawyer or a doctor. But when he thinks of his own future, he sees a blank or darkness. Can you picture who you will be in 15 years? What do you envision for your future?
-In 15 years I would be 29 years old. By then I would hope to have graduated and become a OB/GYN nurse. I would hope to be settled in to a house I'd want to be in for awhile and to have children of my own. This is what I think my future would be like in 15 years.