Thankful for a Classmate

I am a freshman at Whitney Young, therefore I do not know many people. But I am thankful for everyone in my class.

American Literature is one of my favorite classes, and it would not be the same without the people who made it that way.  Third period doesn’t make me tired in the mornings even though it’s my first class period. I am thankful for the interesting class discussions, and the randomness that occurs when we get off topic. Even though I do not talk much in that class, I still find that class fun and enjoyable. I am thankful for the creativity in the questions that are asked, the projects we are given, the blogs we have to write. I like the calmness of the class as well. Nobody gets in trouble or yelled at and class can be fun and serious at the same time. I am thankful for being placed in this class because this class is different from the other ones I take. My past literature classes were dreadful, but I am thankful that this one is not. The work we do may not be interesting but somehow I find it not that bad sometimes. I would like to thank everyone for making this class this way. 

I Am Plow.

A plow is a tool used to make the fields easier to plant crops and so they are easier to grow; it is pushed or pulled by a person to be able to use it.

I am not literally a plow, but I can relate to one.  My parents push me to do better. They want me to be better at everything I can do. They just want it to be easier for me in the long run when I get older.

My dad makes me do vocabulary 24/7; in the car going to school, over the summer, whenever he can squeeze it into my schedule. He never takes any of my excuses not to do vocabulary. He always says I’ll thank him when I have to study for ACT. He signs me up for extracurricular activities all the time, so I can learn new things, and not be accustomed to do the same things all the time. He forces me to go on vacations around the world so I can learn about the world, and to think about topics with a wider view.

Both my parents make me take Chinese classes. Everyday. I’ve been taking Chinese ever since I was about 6 years old. I’ve never paid attention to my classes on Sunday, so I still have to take them. My dad wants me to study Chinese in China next year, or to be tutored in Chicago all summer so I can take AP Chinese next year (not happening). I learned Cantonese when I was young, and my mom makes me speak it to her instead of English so I’ll remember the language. It sucks having to take Chinese everyday of the week, but my parents just push me harder to be successful in the future. 

Third Period American Literature.

American literature is one of my favorite classes and there isn’t anything I’d want to really adjust in that class. It’s enjoyable which is hard for me to say because literature isn’t my strongest subject. I like the idea of blogging, its creative and you can talk about your thoughts without worrying about grammatical errors. I like the journal entries and the music that is played during that time. The only thing I don’t like too much, is taking notes. Reading and taking notes is hard for me, it’s not fun to do at all. If I’m reading a good book, it’s hard for me to stop and write notes down if I can just remember it since it’s an important part in the story. If we have to take notes, we should be able to use them on a quiz or test. Besides notes, I like the class just the way it is.

Modern Slavery

sweat·shop

–noun

a shop employing workers at low wages, for long hours, and under poor conditions.

The thirteenth amendment officially abolished slavery everywhere in the United States in 1865. However, slavery still exists in other parts in the world, but we don’t know about it or possibly even care. Slavery is a worldwide issue and there are people working in sweatshops in many countries at this very moment.

I’m not allowed to do certain things because of my parents’ orders, just like other kids. However, they aren’t the type of regular things like be home before dark or finish your homework before you go out; but for me, I can’t purchase certain things, or wear certain shoes, like products of Nike. 

The first thing that immediately came to my mind for the topic of modern slavery was Nike. Millions of Americans are consumers of major industries that are associated with sweatshops, like Nike. A lot of people don’t know the Nike Company overwork people and the workers are only paid a very small amount. The largest producers of Nike shoes are the factories located in China, Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia, Pakistan, India and Thailand.

For example, Nike has been accused of taking advantage of children in Pakistan to make soccer balls. If we were to go to a store to purchase a soccer ball, the chances are that the soccer ball was made by one of the more than 200 children in Pakistan, which some are as young as 4 or 5. The more we purchase these items, the demand of the products is higher, which increases the demand for cheap labor.

Nike is a very popular company, so nobody cares about how the shoe was made, as long as they get to wear it. People don’t care about the hard labor on the children because they think, “well it’s the style, and a lot of other people wear Nike, so why do I have to be the one to feel guilty about wearing them? It’s not like one person can make the difference.” Or something like, “these shoes are so comfortable, so I don’t really care.” This is my opinion, but I know it’s the truth because people have said it to me before. I don’t believe the Nike Company will change the ways they produce their items, just like the way I don’t believe Global Warming will come to an end.

Indonesian workers make $2.46 a day, Vietnamese workers make $l.60 a day, and Chinese workers make $1.75 a day.

You pay over $100 for a pair of shoes that cost less than five dollars to make.