My Monday
Faint, distant voices echo through the dense, plastered walls. Only seconds later, I hear the ear-splitting clamor, resonating from my jet-black alarm clock. Twisting and turning around, fighting my way through the entangling satin sheets, I find my way to the source of the bellowing sound, and then I clumsily hit the snooze button. Eight peaceful minutes pass until the same obnoxious sound calls out again. This time, I willfully hit the tiny, round off button. Stretching my stiff arms towards the stars, and yawning like a bear after waking from a long, deep hibernation, I stumble out of bed and put my fuzzy, red and black ladybug slippers on my tired, cold feet. A look of horror appears on my face when I see my frazzled hair in a far away mirror. Regaining my composure, I continue onward to the subdued, vacant bathroom, to get ready for another unpredictable, manic Monday.
First things first, I flip the light on to activate the dormant bathroom, and I answer nature's call. After washing my hands in the tepid water, I grab my nut-brown hairbrush, and battle my way through the overwhelming tangles. Completing that formidable task, I pull the round, blue bottle of Noxzema out of the golden, oak cabinet to wash my face. Scents of menthol, camphor, and eucalyptus filter through my head and awaken my senses. Now fully awakened, I scamper to the kitchen, grabbing my blue and yellow bag of doughnuts, and pouring myself a cup of cold milk. Chocolate tickles my nose when I open my bag of delicious doughnuts. While enjoying my savory breakfast, the bong of the grandfather clock warns me that it is almost time to depart from my comfy home.
Immediately I gather all of my belongings, jump in my red Oldsmobile, and rush to ...
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...me wish the end of the day came faster, so I can go to work.
Coincidentally enough, the dismissal bell rings, and I am off to work. When I get to work, my boss sends me to the warehouse to plant an endless amount of tiny, green petunias. The smell of fertilizer and cocoa mulch gives me a splitting headache that rests at the base of my head. After three long hours of tedious work, I exhaustedly drive home.
My mom greets me when I arrive at home, and I watch television with her for a short time. I then help her grill a thick, juicy steak, and bake russet potatoes for dinner. After dinner I take a long, hot, invigorating shower. I finish up my chores and eat a snack before turning in. Finally, I tell my parents goodnight, and I crawl into my maroon, satin sheets, pulling my soft, down comforter over my tired head, already dreaming of what's in store for tomorrow.
Will racism ever come to an end or will its path go on infinitely? For the most part, the majority of people respect those who are different either in color, race, and/or heritage; however, there are those few that hold bigoted views towards people who are different than they are. The movie American History X by Tony Kaye displays an example of people who hold bigoted views. Derek, a Neo-Nazi leader, must contend with his actions relating to his past racist views and actions. This powerful movie explores its characters thoroughly and gives reasons why people become so callous and turn towards a racist group. It also exposes insight to problems that plague America when it comes to racism in everyday life, from schoolyards to basketball courts. All together American History X presents its watchers with an impressive theme that makes everyone who watches it take a step back and just say, “WOW!”
In many ways, the media must be involved in ethnic and racial issues. The media is to provide the public with information useful to them. The media is on the public’s side. Racial stereotyping is a problem that is out in the public. Drugs, teen pregnancy, child abuse and rape are also problems that affect the people of the world everyday. The media has a job to make these issues aware to the people and possibly put together a form of solutions. Some ways of addressing issues are blunt and harsh but so are the problems. I don’t think the media can address the issue of racism without stepping into a stereotype somewhere but I also believe the media is obligated to address the obvious false stereotypes and offer ways to terminate them as well. American History X is a movie that directly addresses the issue of race and deals with some very serious issues in a small town. There are a group of white kids that have been influenced by Adolf Hitler’s beliefs and they are very hateful toward blacks, Jews, and any other race that is different than theirs. They all have Nazi signs tattooed on their bodies and their heads are completely shaved. There are very negative viewpoints in the first half of the movie toward blacks and Jews. The “N” word is used very freely and many of the actions of each group is quite accurate. Although this movie is very harsh and straight forward, their is a great amount of truth in all of the actions of each cultural group. One of the young white men witness a black man breaking into his truck and the black man ends up murdered in a very cruel manner. The movie is a lesson. A lesson about reality but also about how wrong reality can be. After spending years in prison, the attitude of this man is different toward black people and he has a hard time relaying this new attitude to his little brother back home and to the friends he had before going to prison.
The filmmaker does not demonise Derek as the bad and stupid skin head. Instead, he is presented as an intelligent young man who believes in what preaches. What he says in this scene is shocking, but before hearing the shocking words, the audie...
Recently we watched a movie called American History X. It touched on a lot of major subjects such as gang violence and racism, which has been passed on from generation to generation. It also asked questions like, what were their racist ideas really based on, how did racism effect the community, can racism be reshaped by actual experiences, and how or why racism to begin with? Racism has been the main topic in the judicial system, police affairs, and racially divided communities for years but it's neither disappearing nor growing to this today.
...ause he mourns, he cannot fathom what he has really done. The viewer sees that Derek followed Sweeney's advice and guidance and changed his brother for the better. Whether it is positive or negative, anyone important in a child's eyes can dramatically impact how they will act, think, or believe. The teens from American History X were all looking for something to hold on to and to be a part of? It is hard to see Derek, Danny and all the others fall for the lies and propaganda set forth by the adults. It's hard to see peers pressure their gang mates into believing something so strongly that they'd rather kill a traitor than forgive a friend. It's hard to see all the hate, anguish, and pain in the film. Surprisingly, there is a silver lining, giving us hope that one positive influence in the lives of children can be enough to turn them from racism and to a better life.
Although Danny’s death came at such an inopportune time for the family, it seemed to illustrate the director’s vision. The racial tension littered throughout the narrative had to come to head eventually. In this case, it was in a negative fashion. In some of Danny last words he states, “Hate is baggage. Life’s too short to be pissed all of the time”. All the hate being held by each of the characters can only cause conflict. Acceptance brings friendship. Continuing to live such a lifestyle can only bring destruction to one’s self, in Derek’s case prison in Danny’s death. This fiction film enable the viewer to see a subculture that might not necessarily viewed by the greater American audience. The director is able to manipulate the scene in order to portray the desired symb...
One of the more prevalent themes of this movie is racism, and how prejudicial mindsets ultimately lead to one’s own demise. The movie outlines how racism, among other things, can adversely affect someone’s judgment. After the father died, we see how the family gradually deteriorates financially as well as emotionally after Derek (the older brother played by Edward Norton) turns to a neo Nazi gang for an outlet, which eventually influences his younger brother Danny (played by Edward Furlong) to follow down ...
Racism. A word that can spark a lengthy conversation, a word that can get under the skin of many, a word that still runs through the veins of the United States even in this modern age. We as a generation and generations before us have seen racism at some point during our lives and yet it still continues to live on without us blinking an eye in the slightest of bit. The films American History X directed by Tony Kaye and Crash directed by Paul Haggins allows the audience to view how racism still rears its head in today’s society but also shows how people can change when they allow their minds to evolve.
... is the brutality of hate and racism. The emotions running high in the movie makes it powerful and moving and the death of Derek’s younger brother Danny Vinyard is shocking enough to bring tears to many viewers’ eyes. The movie ends with Danny’s voice reading his paper out loud and he ends his paper with a very important quote by Abraham Lincoln. This quote shows how Danny’s, as well as Derek’s, mindset changed from the beginning of the movie to the end. When hearing this quote it leaves the viewers in awe that Danny finally started to look past his hateful ideologies but ends up dead because of the lifestyle him and his brother decided to lead. “We are not enemies, but friends. We must not be enemies. Though passion may have strained we must not break our bonds of affection. The mystic chords of memory will swell when again touched, as surely they will be by the better angels of our nature”.
The third maddening buzz of my alarm woke me as I groggily slid out of bed to the shower. It was the start of another routine morning, or so I thought. I took a shower, quarreled with my sister over which clothes she should wear for that day and finished getting myself ready. All of this took a little longer than usual, not a surprise, so we were running late. We hopped into the interior of my sleek, white Thunderbird and made our way to school.
My day started off like any other summer morning. Waking up a bit after dawn, I got out of bed and realized that I was late for work. Crap! I also forgot my work uniform at Kelly's house last night. Rushing out of my house, I cruised about two miles down the road jamming
I woke up to the pungent smell of hospital disinfect, invading my nostrils. The room was silent apart from my heavy breathing and the beep beep sound you often hear in hospitals that indicates you're alive. I slowly opened my eyes, squinting in attempt to sharpen the blurred images before me. I glanced around and took in the deserted, blue and white colour schemed hospital bedroom. How long have I been here? I shut my eyes, trying to remember what had exactly happened. Then it all hits me with a bang. The memory of it all starts to occupy my thoughts.
“Beep, Beep, Beep!” It was six o’clock in the morning and my alarm clock woke me up 4to prepare for the first day of my Senior Year. I slowly arose from my deep sleep and strolled toward my closet as if I were a snail. After twenty minutes of contemplating heavily, I finally reached a decision on my outfit. My outfit consisted of a navy blue and light brown elephant print kimono, a pure white blouse, light brown flats, and a silver triangle shaped Aztec necklace. To my surprise the clock struck a quarter to seven, leaving me only moments left to get ready. I jumped into the shower and then prepared for the day I had ahead of me.
I left work today realizing just how fortunate I am to be on the track towards a successful career. And on top of that, the fact that I actually enjoy my job makes it even better! It's definitely been a long road.
Graduation was the most important day in my life. I waited for this amazing day for twelve years to reach my dream and move on to college. For most people, graduation is a memorable day. It is hard for me to forget it even after a hundred years. The day I woke up realizing it was my graduation day, I was smiling all day long knowing that I had made my family proud of me. I remember everything about my graduation day: my party, cake, dress, makeup, hair, cap and gown, and the gifts I got from family and friends.