Dumpster Diving Poverty Stigma

Michael Jones
Mrs. Parkinson
English IIIB
April 13, 2016

Dumpster Diving and Poverty 

       When you see garbage, what comes into your head? Do you think,  "Man, that's some smelly, useless trash," or do you say, "This is where my next meal and paycheck will come from. Unfortunately, because of the time we live in, there are people in this world who daily think the latter. Due to this tragedy, many people often judge those in poverty that have been brought to this level of disparity in harsh and unfair ways. People often think of it as shameful and disgraceful, that no matter your need for food and money you shouldn't be rummaging through the trash to get it.
       One's perspective on the subject might change after a discussion with someone in that state of need. In the book On Dumpster Diving, Lars Eighner discusses his point of view on what he does for a living. He says, "Almost everything I have now has been cast out at least once, proving that what I own is valueless to someone" (725). From what Eighner says here, we can learn that we shouldn't look at dumpster diving as a disgraceful way of life, but instead as finding value in things that others couldn't. Dumpster divers and those that are homeless are simply less fortunate than others, and Eighner portrays that because of that they are more developed in finding value. 

       

Michael Jones

Mrs. Parkinson

English IIIB

15 March 2016

                                                       Of Mice and Men Personal Response

People are, in general, very selfish. I want this, you’re getting in my way, my needs must be met first. There are only a precious few people in our lives that we consistently put before ourselves. These people we call our best friends. In the book Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, George speaks in Lennie’s stead during their job interview, and their boss gets curious about George’s interest in Lennie. He says, “‘Well, I never seen one guy take so much trouble for another guy” (22).

George explains to his boss at this point that Lennie is his cousin, and that he was kicked in the 

head by a horse when he was young. Though the story is made up, the responsibility that George 

claims over Lennie is not a lie. George carries Lennie’s weight on his shoulders, even though he has 

no real obligation to. He recognized that his friend needed help, and so he decided to put Lennie’s 

needs before his own. In my own experience, I’ve sacrificed lots of time and sleep to help a close 

friend with personal issues. Both George and I feel the responsibility of looking after our friends, and

that makes it worth the sacrifice.

Mark Bezos TED Talk Voice

Humor:
     Bezos uses a sense of humor throughout his presentation to keep his audience's attention and to bring a bright, playful side into his story about firefighting. He talks about his silly competition with another volunteer firefighter that got to rescue the victim's dog, while he was told to find a pair of shoes for the barefoot lady. He uses humor to show that he misunderstood the situation, since he didn't realize the significance of getting the woman her shoes, and instead thought it would be more cooler for him to have been able to say he rescued an animal. Throughout his story he mentioned how unfortunate it was for him to only be able to get shoes, but it turned out later, that was the "act of kindness that [the victim] noted above all others." This irony effectively emphasized the importance of not underestimating the power of a simple act of kindness, and Bezos accomplished this through his own subtle humor.
     An example of this humor is when he gave the woman her shoes, he said, "Now, I know what              you're thinking. But I'm no hero," as he posed heroically. This shows how he, through sarcasm,          showed his thinking that this act he performed was insignificant.

Surprising Information and Observations:
     Bezos writes in such a way that surprises us, as he says things in ways and at times that we wouldn't expect. When it seems like he's just going through the motions as he talks about arriving at the scene of the fire, and immediately after he finds out that the other volunteer firefighter gets to save the dog, he shouts, "The dog!" This catches us off guard, and helps to convey the emotion Bezos felt at that moment of jealousy. The rest of the story is very straightforward, and his direct way of calling the other volunteer his "nemesis," and the way he said the woman appreciated his act, all subtly surprised us, and they worked very well in evoking emotion in the reader.

Exhibition of Perceptivity:
     Bezos was very analytical of the scene as he showed up. Before he was told anything, one of the first thing he pointed out was how bad of a day the victim was having. He said, "Here it was, the middle of the night, she was standing outside in the pouring rain, under an umbrella, in her pajamas, barefoot, while her house was in flames." This is something most people wouldn't care to point out or notice until a little later if in his stead. This ability to understand the victim and her problems more than any of his own or anyone else's teaches us that Bezos is a very understanding, caring person. He knows when people need help, and he sees the small details that will allow him to provide them with that help.

Catcher in the Rye Powerful Vignette

An example of a vignette used by J.D. Salinger in his book the Catcher in the Rye is when Holden talks about his suitcases compared to his roommates'. Holden says, "You think if they're intelligent and all, the other person, and have a good sense of humor, that they don't give a **** whose suitcases are better, but they do. They really do" (Salinger 109). This moment tells us that no matter how much you think another person won't get jealous about something as little as having lower quality suitcases, they most likely do. Holden explains this well by simply stretching out the fact that he had nicer looking suitcases, and simply expanding and discussing that as it relates to some of his interactions with that roommate.

Catcher In the Rye Rattle

When Holden discusses his brother's left handed baseball mitt, he begins to talk about his brother, and to describe him. When Holden tells us that his brother died, and how he reacted to that, it becomes apparent to us that he is deeply bothered by it, that it is his rattle that won't leave him alone, yet he is alone in facing it.


In the article "Your Rattle No One Else Can Hear?" by Daran Kagan, a story about Kagan's fairly new car is told. She says that there is an annoying rattle that becomes audible when driving on the highway, but when she took it to the dealership to be looked at, the dealer couldn't hear it. This simple story lets the readers relate, saying they too have an event or problem in their life that they can't forget, and nobody else can help them. The story is a literal translation of a problem that so many people in the world have, and Kagan uses it to show sympathy for the readers. She's using a brief story to say that people who have that rattle are not alone, and she feels for them. This is the true message of the article.


Kagan defines a rattle as "that thing that is the thorn in your side, that others can't see or detect that you're told to get over." To Holden, as discussed before, "that thing" is his brother's death. We know Holden really struggles with this, because he tells us that when Allie (his brother) died, he got very upset and broke windows with his fist and slept in the garage. His family didn't understand, and they were going to get him psychoanalyzed. He gets kind of defensive about his actions too, saying, "It was a very stupid thing to do, I'll admit, but I hardly didn't even know I was doing it, and you didn't know Allie" (Salinger 39). Knowing this, we can tell that Holden feels very alone in his feelings. We know that it's a very sensitive topic to him, but he tries to write it off as not very important. The second half of the rattle article, discussing how she Kagan feels for those that have rattles and feel like Holden does, would probably be very helpful to Holden, because he fits the description perfectly, and what he needs more than anything is someone to share his pain with.

Ranger's Apprentice 12- Characters

One thing that was really interesting while reading this book was how the characters had changed since the last book. The time gap is multiple years from book 11 to book 12. In fact, Will's gray beard is brought up multiple times, which means Will is probably about 35-40 by now. Will was very grim and humorless in this book, whereas Halt actually was more upbeat and optimistic than normal. All in all, though, I tended to think of the story having two Halts, one being more upbeat than the other, than there being a happy Halt and a sad Will. Will is described a lot like Halt was in the first few books.
A few of the other characters stay the same, however. For example, Jenny is still a very positive and friendly to everyone, and Gillan is also very optimistic and smart. These characters help keep the story similar to the other books instead of bringing an entirely new storyline. Even with the new character twists, though, this book is a great end to the series, and I recommend it to all.

Ranger's Apprentice 12- Building Suspense

The author builds suspense in this book through ways that most people do; through unexpected events and lots of detail. Throughout this book, there are many surprises, instead of just one or two. I will name a few, trying to be vague so I don't spoil anything. But this is still a MINOR SPOILER ALERT. The reason that Will became so mad and unhappy was a huge surprise. The fact that he was willing to get kicked off of the Ranger Corpse in order to get revenge was another. It was also surprising who Will's apprentice was. Finally, Will was captured in the end and almost killed. END. There were also a few other smaller surprises, but those were some of the main ones.

The way that the author is able to stretch out a story without making it boring is also a big reason why this story has a lot of suspense. It's like those times in other books and movies when you know what's going to happen in general, and you think you know how, but whether or not it actually happens, you never would have guessed how it did.