Gabriella
Sometimes I still say your name, just to hold it in my mouth, to twirl it past the curves of vowels and into the trill of the l, the lilt of the final a.
Gabriella, I still see your sharp, strange face, in street crowds and in airports, the flutter of your long hands tracing my belly button.
I can’t remember Gabriella’s last name, something quite Russian and excitingly foreign to the five year old self of mine who last saw her. I don't know which part of Russia she lived in before coming here as part of a refugee plan for Soviet Jews, never even thought to ask. In 1983, I only knew that Russians were communists, and communists were bad, which was why Gabriella (stop, wait, say the name again, slowly). Gabriieeelllaaa ran away.
I am four years old and have to read one whole book with chapters before starting kindergarten next week at Ezra Academy, a Jewish day school in Woodbridge, Connecticut which requires all students to read and write both Hebrew and English at a basic level upon entrance. When we met the principal over the summer, he said that I would be the youngest pupil by more than a year.
For my book, I pick Meet Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. from a shiny shelf at Stop n’ Shop while dangling over the front of the child seat in my mother’s shopping cart, already too round to fit in comfortably. That night, I curl into my pink flannel princess nightgown to read in my mother’s big maroon rocking chair.
"Mommy, were the Jim Crow people commu..commm...communin,..cc...communinists?"
"Communists?"
She smiles, and I watch for the crinkles at her eyes to tell me if she noticed my tangled pronunciation.
"Are the people who hated Dr. King the same people who hate Gabriella?"
"Who?"
My mother drawls over the who, dangling the word like the glass in her hand, one sip left of pale rose colored wine so perfect I want to place it like dew on my tongue
"Wine is only for mommies"
"If I’m not allowed to drink more than one glass of ginger ale why can you drink five glasses of wine?"
"Because it’s different for grownups, our stomachs are bigger"
"Big enough for the whole bottle?"
"Don’t be silly. Who were you asking me about before?"
"Remember! The girl who is going to be in my class who you said Rabbi Scolnik helped rescue from the cc.
In his Letter from Birmingham Jail, Martin Luther King Jr. uses his personal experience to convince others of the importance of revising the segregation laws that were in place during 1960’s. In paragraphs 13 and 14 in particular, there is a lot of language used to persuade the reader’s opinions and emotions toward King’s argument. He does this not only convince his fellow clergymen, but to inform others of the reality that African Americans faced in the 60’s.
In “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” Martin Luther King, Jr. uses a catalogue of personal experiences in order to appeal to the emotions of the reader, also called pathos, by utilizing concrete language, semicolons, and lengthy sentences. He not only entices the emotions of the fellow clergymen he is addressing, but also society in general, attempting to reveal the true situation of the oppressed Negroes during this time in the Civil Rights Movement.
Lischer, Richard The Preacher King: Martin Luther King Jr. and the word that moved America Oxford University Press: 1995. Print
Anne Moody's story is one of success filled with setbacks and depression. Her life had a great importance because without her, and many others, involvement in the civil rights movement it would have not occurred with such power and force. An issue that is suppressing so many people needs to be addressed with strength, dedication, and determination, all qualities that Anne Moody strived in. With her exhaustion illustrated at the end of her book, the reader understands her doubt of all of her hard work. Yet the reader has an outside perspective and knows that Anne tells a story of success. It is all her struggles and depression that makes her story that much more powerful and ending with the greatest results of Civil Rights and Voting Rights for her and all African Americans.
Lischer, Richard The Preacher King: Martin Luther King Jr. and the word that moved America Oxford University Press: 1995. Print
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was the leader of the civil rights movement in the 1960’s. His speech, entitled “I Have a Dream” was given in front of the Lincoln Memorial on August 28, 1963. Dr. King used his speech as a rally for people, blacks and whites alike, who desired equality and social justice, but there is so much more to it than what appears on the surface. Dr. King employs a number of stylistic techniques, all of which serving a purpose too subtle for the naked eye to pick up. Dr. King uses the stylistic techniques of word choice, metaphors, and repetition to fuel hope and bring about change.
One day, in a building of concrete and bars, a pen met paper in hope that a change would be made. A letter was scribed; then placed in an envelope addressed to clergymen. Martin Luther King’s letter was written in 1963 from the Birmingham City Jail. He was in jail because he didn’t have a permit to parade—but he was doing more than parading. He was taking a stand for equality for the African-American community. Some clergymen of Birmingham accused King of unwise and untimely actions, but Martin Luther thought these men’s opinion might have been misled. King uses figurative language and conative word choice to influence his readers; so the clergymen would see the importance of the African-American community sharing equality with the white community and how they needed to act now.
Furthermore, by establishing his credibility, appealing to the audience’s logic, and invoking the emotional aspects of the African-American plight in 1963, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was able to assert that his activities in Birmingham, Alabama were wise and timely. “What else can one do when he is alone in a narrow jail cell, other than write long letters; think long thoughts and pray long prayers” (King).
On the third Monday in January, we celebrate a man who helped change the course of history in the way people treat others who are different than them. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was an African American clergyman and civil rights leader for who was made famous by the glorious speech “I Have a Dream”. (Norton 1152) In this speech, he spoke of a future where Caucasians and African Americans would no longer be segregated and to not be judged by the color of our skin but to be known together as equal. During his speech, whether he did it purposely or accidently, he used rhetorical devices to help deliver his message to his audience. In the speech, Dr. King used ethos, logos, and pathos to appeal to his audience in an ethical, logical and emotional
In “Letter from Birmingham Jail” Dr. Martin Luther King brings attention to the reality of racial inequality in the 1960s. King writes this letter in response to clergymen addressing their apprehensions regarding the timing of the nonviolence demonstrations. The letter addressees specific arguments presented in the clergymen’s letter and his direct response. King’s goal in writing this letter is to convince the clergymen that his strategies are right and just. In this section, King rebuts the allegation made by the clergymen that his actions were untimely. In his counter argument, King uses repetition, metaphors, emotional appeals in order to persuade the audience to support his cause.
Martin Luther King, Jr. was a pastor, activist, and leader in the African-American Civil Rights Movement. Mr. King was a man of honor and respect even in the troubling situations of serving jail time. People who were supposed to support him questioned his actions, Dr. King still stood by what he believed in. In Birmingham, Alabama Dr. King hoped that the white religious leaders will come to his aid but instead found reluctance and opposition. In the “Letter from Birmingham Jail”, Martin Luther King, Jr. refutes his critics claims through the use of passionate tones, metaphors, and allusions.
Anne Moody’s Coming of Age in Mississippi is a narrated autobiography depicting what it was like to grow up in the South as a poor African American female. Her autobiography takes us through her life journey beginning with her at the age of four all the way through to her adult years and her involvement in the Civil Rights Movement. The book is divided into four periods: Childhood, High School, College and The Movement. Each of these periods represents the process by which she “came of age” with each stage and its experiences having an effect on her enlightenment. She illustrates how important the Civil Rights Movement was by detailing the economic, social, and racial injustices against African Americans she experienced.
Zieve, David, Juhn, Greg, and Eltz, David R. "Child Abuse-Sexual." New York Times. N.p., 13 Oct. 2008. Web. 12 Jan. 2014.
Child Sexual Abuse (CSA) constitutes a very small amount of cases, but nonetheless it is extremely detrimental for children. Studies evaluated the consequences of childhood sexual abuse and revealed that such traumatic experiences can harm the child physically, psychologically, and emotionally. The disturbing experiences can also negatively impact the child during their adolescence and adulthood. The World Health Organization (WHO) recognizes child maltreatment as physical and emotional abuse, negligence, and commercial or other exploitation of children (Smallbone, Marshall, & Wortley, 2011). Unfortunately, there is no reliable and valid definition exclusively for Childhood Sexual Abuse (CSA) (Collin, Daigneault, & Hébert, 2013; Smallbone, et al., 2011). Among practitioners and scholars, the consensus is that childhood sexual abuse is an acute social problem that needs to be brought to light even though ambiguity over the definition exists (Collin et al., 2013; Smallbone et al., 2011). Because of the collective awareness, several research studies have been done on the resiliency or protective factors that prevail among victims of crime (Ager, 2013). Some childhood development studies defined resilience as a set of protective factors that CSA survivors use to escape their trauma and achieve positive adaptation ( Luthar, Cicchett & Becker, 2000; Walsh, Dawson, & Mattingly, 2010). Luther stated:
One of the most obvious and damaging results of child abuse is death; however, research illustrating the effects on a growing child who has been abused has demonstrated many other lifelong negative factors (Felitti, Anda, Nordenberg, Williamson, Spitz, Edwards, Koss, Marks, 1998). In consonance children who suffer from abuse can show signs of depression, social withdraw, and even violent behavior. As a child grows older, they may suffer from poor physical health, such as high blood pressure, obesity, stress, and psychological disorders and disabilities (Herronkohl, T., Hong, Klika, and Herronkohl, R., 2013). Child abuse and neglect have also been associated with depression, anger disorders, and post-traumatic